PROFESSOR WILLIAM DIXON WEST,
C.I.E., Sc..D., F.N.A., F.G.S.
 |
| Prof. William Dixon West. |
William
Dixon West (1901-1994) was born on 27 January 1901 at at Bournemout, spent three
years of his early life in North Bornew, where his father built the
first railway. Only a little bit information is available about his
early education. He educated at King's School, Canterbury, and St.
John's College, Cambridge, where he obtained a first class in both
parts of the Natural Sciences Tripos, winning the Winchester Prize in
1922 and the Harkness Scholarship (Jointly with E. R. Gee). In
Cambridge, he came under the influence of a famous petrologist Prof.
Alfred Harker, whose famous book on Metamorphism which attracted them
toward the field of Geology.
AT GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA
Soon
after the graduation in 1923, he joined the Geological Survey of
India. At GSI, their first assignment was the mapping of Sausar belt
in Central Province in Central India (Now Madhya Pradesh). In the
course of early work he proposed the existence of "nappe"
structure in the Central Province region which was named as Deolapar
Nappe because of the presence in the vicinity of Deolopar where
different facies of Sausar sediments originally deposited far apart
were brought together in Juxtaposition. Soon he became the Director
of Geological Survey of India from from 1946 to 1951. he held the
office office at the time of Independence of India and during their
directorship, Centenary of Geological Survey of India was celebrated
and he played host to many distinguished geologist from overseas who
visited India on that occasion; he created a saparete wing for
Geophysical Investigation, Exploratory mining and drilling and also
for petroleum exploration and rare earth minerals. The later wing
given rise to some separate organisation e.g. Oil and Natural Gas
Commision (ONGC) and Atomic Mineral Division of the Department of
Atomic energy. He modified the working by adding some new section for
mineral development, Engineering geology and Groundwater. He took
his voluntary retirement from GSI giving place to Dr. M.S. Krishnan
who became the first Indian director of Geological survey of India.
 |
| Dr. West with Dr. D.N. Wadia |
He
remained bachelor for their lifetime and missed 'the enduring
elegance of female friendship'. Nevertheless the credit of
recruitment of ladies into the survey in both the scientific and
administrative section goes to him.
He
was invited to join the University of Saugar (Now Dr. Harisingh Gour
Univerisity, Sagar) as Professor and Head of the Department of
Geology in 1955. At that time the university was housed in old army
barracks. He remained here till the end of his life.
INTEREST IN GEOLOGY
He was
interested in geological education throughout his career. As a member
of Geological Survey of India, he took classes at Presidency College,
Calcutta and also visited the geology department of various
universities in different part of the India to experience the
facility available the students for training of geologist recruited
to the survey and submitted a report.
Professor
Dudley Stamp, the famous geographer has the following tribute to pay
to the Dr. West:-
'Dr.
West epitomizes in his own person the tradition between survey and
Education and in the length and breadth of his work and interest
has notably maintained and standard set by a string of illustrious
predecessors. When he might reasonably have retired from strenuous
field work to a life of ease, he chose rather to help the students of
India to further the knowledge of their country and resources and to
devote to them his organising ability and the fruit of their
accumulated experience. His work has been followed with interest and
admiration the world over.'
 |
| Dr. W.D. West at Saugor University. |
The
each and every point of the above statement are true and not in the
least is exaggerated. The Central Province Manganese Ore Company
(CPMO) has made a bequest of Rs. 5 Lakhs for starting of a Department
of Geology at Saugor, and he was invited to undertake the
responsibility. Dr. West not only accepted this challenge but also
chose to make it as his home. It was a great challenge because in the
fifties it was a remote and backward region of India. Then with the
help of a donation from Central Provinces Manganese Ore Co., Prof.
West has a new building constructed at the new University site, and
the Department of Applied Geology occupied it from 1957. The
Department has risen to considerable eminence and is rated as one of
the best University Department teaching Geology. In 1963, it was
selected as a U.G.C. Center of Advance Study in Geology. The
contribution made by Dr. West for the Department of Applied Geology
and Saugor University will be remembered with gratitude.
LOVE TO INDIA
His
deep love to India and Indian geologist was expressed at the time of
receiving of lyell medal he said:-
'You
Sir, have referred in generous terms to the little I have done to
encourage geological science in India. But, I doubt if you realize
how I have been, firstly to have the privilege of working in India
with the wonderful ranges of geological problems and, secondly, to
have had the companionship of so many Indian geologists.'
his
writings are models of clear exposition aimed at advancing our
knowledge of the subject. In the early days, he attempted a number of
reviewed articles which was published in Current Science entitled
'Some recent advancement in Indian Geology'.
WORK
Prof.
West's main work in India has been in Madhya Pradesh and in Simla
Himalaya. In both areas he demonstrated, for the first time, the
existence of nappe structures; and the Deolapar nappe in the Archaean
rocks of M.P., and the shali window and the Simla Klippe in the
Himalaya, have become well known in Indian Geology. Among other
activities he investigated the Quetta earthquake of 1935 and the
condition under which most damage was done. He also made a study of
some deep boring put down through the Deccan Trap in Saurastra, a
study which he resumed 30 years later on reaching Sagar, which is
situated on these volcanic rocks.
During
second world was Prof. West took a party of surveyors and drillers to
Northern Afghanistan to explore for coal in the Jurassic Saighan
Series north of the Hindu Kush. In appreciation of this work the
Afghan Government bestowed on him the Star of Afghanistan.
During
his long service in India , Prof. West has been president of several
societies, including the Asiatic Society of Bengal, the Mining,
Geological and Metallurgical Institute of India, the Geological,
Mining and Metallurgical Society of India and the Indian Association
of Geohydrologists. He is a foundation Fellow of the Indian National
Science Academy.
Prof.
West has played a considerable part in the promotion of Science in
India, and in geological education. He was one of the General
Secretaries of the Indian Science Congress from 1932 to 1938, and
with Prof. J.N. Mukherjee organized the silver Jubilee of the
congress in 1938, a meeting that was attended by a delegation of
distinguished scientist from the British Association. He presided
over the Geology Section in 1937, and delivered the presidential
address on “Earthquakes in India”
He was awarded the
Lyell medal of the Geological Society of London, and the P.N. Bose
Memorial medal by the Asiatic Society. The C.I.E. Was conferred on
him by the Government of India in 1947.
In
his 86th year, he said there was little remaining for him
to accomplish except to light the way for the younger generation to
become a good geologists. This he did sincerely and to the best of
his ability. He will always be remembered for their devotion toward
the geology and his classic contribution to Indian geology and the
role he was played in geological education in India.
He
apparently remained good in health till the last. He took ill and was
shifted to Bhopal where he passed away in the early hours of 23rd
may 1994.
