James Haward Taylor, 1909-1968

The untimely death of Professor J. H. Taylor while pursuing underwater studies of modern limestone formation off the Seychelles on 25 January 1968, deprived the Society and the science of geology of an outstanding man in the prime of his life. He was born at Esher on 24 February 1909, the only child of James Taylor of Milngavie, Dunbartonshire, a partner in the firm of Balmer, Lawrie and Co., Indian merchants, and Lilian Dudley Ward Haward of Spalding, Lincolnshire. His paternal grandfather, James Smith Taylor, and great-grandfather were both ministers of the Church of Scotland; his maternal grandfather, Henry Haward, served on the staff of the Surveyor- General of India. Both his parents spent much of their lives in that sub-continent and James passed his early years at Calcutta and Mussooree. The family settled at Thames Ditton after returning from India, but Mr Taylor did not long survive. Mrs Taylor, however, lived until 1967 and between mother and son there was a lifelong bond of affection so strong that it was certainly a major influence in James’s life. Holidays from Thames Ditton were often spent in Scotland, where the interest of the growing boy in science was stimulated by his aunt, Margaret Taylor, one of the first women to complete the Natural Science Tripos at Cambridge.