Dr Cyril Ernest Everard, former senior lecturer in geography at Queen Mary, University of London, died on 24 May 2006. He was born on 23 October 1928 in Hampshire and educated at University College of Southampton, as it then was, gaining his BSc in 1949 and MSc in 1952. The latter was for a geomorphological study of the Solent River.
In 1951-52 Cyril held an Assistant Lectureship in Southampton, moving to a similar position in Glasgow in the following session. He joined the Department of Geography at Queen Mary College, as it then was, in 1953 and for the next decade provided single-handed virtually all the physical geography taught at the College. Nevertheless, he maintained a strong involvement in research in several aspects of geomorphology. He had a long-standing interest in river capture, particularly in the Cornish peninsular and also found time to investigate the influence of china clay mining on Cornish beaches; the geomorphology of East London; slopes in New Mexico, Spain and Cyprus and the coastal geomorphology of Devon and Cornwall. He contributed valuable background material to the British Association for the Advancement of Science Experimental Earthwork project at Overton Down and, later, for the Archaeological Report on the Sutton Hoo ship burial. But at heart he remained loyal to historical geomorphology and he spent many years unravelling the history of the English Channel.
Cyril was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1966 and thereafter became a temporary editor of the Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. An influx of new staff in the 1960s allowed him to develop fully his own interests in teaching and research. He became increasingly interested in oceanography and old maps, particularly those of the English Channel.
Throughout his career at Queen Mary, Cyril was a mainstay of the Department: selfless in his teaching, compassionate and caring with students, bearing illness with remarkable fortitude and always trying to put a smile on the face of others. He carried a full load of teaching and departmental administration at all times other than those of most serious illness and recuperation. He took early partial retirement in 1984, full retirement in 1986.
In his retirement he decided to work for a PhD. Over many years he built on his earlier work on the cartography of the English Channel, suffering many serious setbacks through increasing ill health. It was a great joy to both Cyril and long-standing former colleagues in the Department when he was awarded the degree, and attended the awarding ceremony, in 2004.
Cyril leaves his wife Noreen and two children.
B. W. Atkinson & L. W. Wright