Page 75 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2022
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                                            At the age of 10, Peter went to Totnes   deliberation, and taking his interest in
                                            Grammar School as a boarder, even   both biology and research into account,
                                            though his parents lived close by. At   he opted for a veterinary course at the
        PETER MARTIN BIGGS                  weekends and holidays, he fondly    Royal Veterinary College (RVC), London.
        (1953)                              recalled sailing with his parents on   In the summer before starting at the
        By Joe Brownlie                     their eight-ton shrimping boat from   RVC, he and a school friend hatched
        Obituary, published in Vet Record,   Brixham harbour.                   a plan to sail the Norfolk broads. They
        Vol 190, Issue 4, 19/26 February    Peter’s father returned to Bedales School   invited two girls to accompany them.
        2022, p169-170                      in 1937 and so, at 11, Peter also went   Peter’s choice was Jan Molteno, the
                                            to this progressive, independent school,   daughter of a family friend who was
                                            again as a boarder. During the holidays,   studying at the Guildford School of Art.
                                            he worked on a local farm guiding the   This was the start of a lifelong love.
                                            heavy horses, helping to harvest the corn   Peter and Jan were married during his
                                            (into stooks) and hand milking the dairy   second year at the RVC, at the chapel
                                            cows. However, this idyllic rural life was   of Mansfield College in Oxford.
                                            not to last.                        In the 1940s, the veterinary course was
                                            The advent of the Second World War   designed to gain a membership of the
                                            brought danger and disruption. A long,   RCVS; it was not recognised as being
                                            covered trench was built at the school   of degree status. Peter realised that to
                                            by students for protection from bombing   undertake research, he would need a
                                            and, by 1940, there were nightly air   degree that would allow him to undertake
                                            raids along the south coast. With the   a PhD. He therefore simultaneously
                                            increasing risk of invasion, it was decided  studied for a science degree alongside
                                            that Peter, then 14, should be evacuated   veterinary science. Few took that choice
                                            to the USA.                         and only a quarter of those who did
                                                                                completed it. Peter was one of them.
                                            In September 1940, Peter, along with
                                            other children, boarded the ocean liner   It was during his library study that he
                                            RMS Scythia at Liverpool, bound for   came across the book ‘The leucosis
        Peter Martin Biggs FMedSci, BVetSts,   New York. While waiting to depart, they   of fowls and leucaemia problems’ by
        PhD, DSc, DVM(hc), Dr(hc), FRCPath,   were bombed, with Peter hearing the   Ellerman and Bang. This stimulated his
        CBiol, FSB, FRCVS, FRS, CBE, (b)    splash of water on the side of the ship. It   interest in virus-induced leukosis.
        1926, (q) London 1953. Died 27      was to be the last convoy of evacuees to   Although most college holidays were
        December 2021.                      leave Britain.                      spent seeing practice, for the summer
        An outstanding veterinary scientist.  Peter stayed with musical family friends   of 1949, Peter and three friends bought
                                            in Harvard, Massachusetts, boarding at   a 1930s Talbot 65 car and drove to
        Peter was born in 1926 in Hampshire,   the Cambridge school for the next four   and around Norway. Crossing Germany
        near Bedales School where his father,   years. He adapted to American life and   without stopping (so soon after the
        Ronald, was director of music and his   enjoyed baseball, cinema and musical   war) was demanding, but they travelled
        mother, Cécile, was a teacher.      concerts, at which he met Koussevitzky,   3000 miles, visiting both the Danish and
        In 1932, the family moved to        Rachmaninov, Bernstein and Stravinsky,   Norwegian veterinary schools, all at a
        Dartington Hall in Devon, where Ronald   among others. He trained in the school’s   cost of £18 each.
        was to take up the position of director   Army Air Forces Service with notable   Peter’s final year at the RVC was spent
        of music and, in time, Cécile opened a   competence in Morse code. These were   at Streatley-on-Thames in Berkshire (the
        small boarding school in Totnes. Being   happy years.                   RVC was evacuated there during the
        an only child, Peter would explore the   Four years later – in June 1944 at   Second World War). He considered the
        Devon countryside, particularly along   the age of 18 – he boarded the MV   teaching to be particularly poor in his last
        the River Dart where he learnt to swim,   Rangitiki which, with 37 other ships and   year. However, Peter’s direction was not
        to watch the leaping salmon over Totnes   13 US escorts, set sail for Liverpool   practice, it was research.
        weir, to ride a Shetland pony and to   and home. Back in the UK, Peter
        enjoy the company of his beloved    volunteered for aircrew in the RAF.   To start his research career, Peter
        dachshund, Markie.                  Although he had hoped for action,   sought the advice of his inspirational
                                                                                RVC teacher Tony King, who had
        It was a musical household and so,   his subsequent four years spent in   by now moved to the department of
        at a young age, Peter was allocated   the service were mainly clerical. He   veterinary anatomy at Bristol veterinary
        the cello to learn, although he really   eventually rose to the rank of corporal.  school. With Tony’s encouragement,
        wanted to play a noisier instrument –   The boredom he experienced changed   Peter successfully obtained a two-year
        the French horn.                    his ambition, which had been to become   research assistantship to study for a
                                            an aeronautical engineer. After much   PhD on lymphoid tissue in the endocrine



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