George Edward Raven Deacon, 21 March 1906 - 16 November 1984

Abstract

Although he devoted his life to the service of marine science, becoming an internationally famous oceanographer, George Deacon had no family connection with the sea. He was born in Leicester on 21 March 1906, the second child of George Raven Deacon and his wife Emma, born Drinkwater. His father was also born in Leicester: one of six children, he often said he would have liked to have studied medicine but he was obliged to leave school at 14 to work in a boot and shoe factory. His mother was the eldest of five children: after her father died when she was ten she took what was then called the ‘labour exam’ and left school when she was about twelve to work in a hat and cap factory until she was married. The Deacons were devout nonconformists, of the Strict Baptist faith, so Ted Deacon (as he was then called to avoid confusion with his father) and his sister Grace, who was 18 months older, were brought up in a Christian home, with strict but kind discipline. They were given every encouragement to work hard: their mother often quoted from Ecclesiastes ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might’. She was extremely deaf, so must have missed much of her children’s chatter, but they had a great love for her and their childhood was a very happy one.