Watching Hampstead’s Weather
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The climatological station at Hampstead in north London is run by the Hampstead Scientific Society. It was established in 1909 by its first honorary meteorologist, Eric Hawke, whose passion for all aspects of the weather lasted throughout his life. He was born into a middle-class family in Hampstead and went to Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge, and from his boyhood he had but two chief interests -- music and meteorology. While still a scholar at Westminster he became a fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society (which he subsequently served as secretary and council member for over two decades) and he joined the Hampstead Scientific Society in 1909.
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When an observatory and meteorological station were set up for the Society on the highest point in the then administrative county of London, a famous meteorologist of the time, Hugh Robert Mill, at whose suggestion the station had been established, spoke at the official opening about the need for meteorological records that “could reasonably expected to be permanent”. Eric Hawke, 17 years old, took the responsibility for ensuring that this was so, and from 1909 to 1965 he acted as honorary meteorologist, and only one day’s readings were missed during those 55 years -- in 1940 owing to an air-raid.
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His collation of the readings made by staff of the Metropolitan Water Board continued when he left Hampstead in 1929 after his marriage, for which he composed his own wedding march. He rarely took a holiday and when he did it was in England and he kept watch on the meteorological observations all the time. His subsequent homes -- in Rickmansworth, Dagnall, and Wilstone -- were themselves selected in part for the meteorological interest resulting from their topographic locations. He lived on his meteorological writings (two books and regular articles for several national and London newspapers) together with a modest private income. He also contributed regularly to the Hampstead and Highgate Express. From 1910 onwards his account of the year’s weather formed part of the Society’s annual reports.
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