John Douglas Eshelby, 21 December 1916 - 10 December 1981

Abstract

John Douglas Eshelby, or ‘Jock’ as he came to be known to a wide circle of scientists and engineers throughout the world, was born at Puddington in Cheshire on 21 December 1916 and died suddenly in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on 10 December 1981. His father, Alan Douglas Eshelby, was a regular army officer who rose to the rank of Captain but was invalided out after rheumatic fever. As a major, he was the commanding officer of the local detachment of the Home Guard during World War II, when the family lived in Somerset at the Manor House, Farrington Gumey. He died in 1952 near Ballachulish in Scotland. Jock’s paternal grandfather was Henry Douglas Eshelby, F.S.A., of Birkenhead. He published privately in 1891 a small book entitled Genealogy of the family of De Eskelby or Exelby of the North Riding of the County of York , the first part of this work being a reprint of a paper he contributed to the Yorkshire Archaeological Journal in 1889.