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- PRIVATE
- An entomologist of world renown for his research into the behaviour of bees. Over 9,000 returns were found when searching for references to his work using Google in Oct 2007, 25 years after his death, and nearly 50 years since his retirement. His work has certainly stood the test of time!
Rough notes extracted from a conversation between Arnold and his grandson:
Attended Butterworth High School under Mr Peter Smith, headmaster. Fourteen students followed him up to Umtata in 1910 when he was promoted to headmaster there. Didn't want to go to Scotland so went to Cape Town (SACS). Wouldn't recognise Xhosa as a subject for acceptance there, so had to learn German. this he failed so had to repeat the whole year. The following year he failed again in English which was a subject combined with Geography and history etc. So changed from Engineering School to Agricultural degree. Enjoyed botany and zoology. 2nd year got a bronze medal in zoology. War broke out in his second year so went to Elsenburg, near Stellenbosch to finish his degree. Fourth year given his batchelor of Science in Agriculture. Had been a cadet and gone to South West Africa to take the country from the Germans. Returned to Elsenburg. 1917. Disbanded from Walfish Bay.
Stationed in Farnburough as 3rd class mechanic at 1s a day in Royal Flying Corps. Learnt to fly - had to go solo after 8 hrs of instruction. Flew in 70 horse power plane. Outside Doncaster flew over a race course. Flew in Maurice Farmans, Avrow with rotary engine & Sopwith puck & SE5.Was going to be sent to Egypt but thought he had a spot on his lungs but war ended so he didn't get to Egypt. Then he got the Spanish Flu. Promoted to second Leiutenant. Royal Airforce amalgamated, became 1st Leuitenant. On one occasion they were flying in formation but he was blown out to sea and he ran out of fuel and had to land the aeroplane on the beach. After the war in the Avro was looping the loop when heard a bang, thinking it was an artiliary, realised he had no propellor, so slid it sideways to land. Propellor had sheared off.
After the War decided to go back to former Agricultural studies. Went back to SA and married Lucy Kaden. Then on a cargo boat for a month on the way to America to Cornell University. Got there in winter. Mr «b»Lounsbury, head of Entomology Dept, Pretoria«/b», suggested that he look for natural enemies of the Woolly Aphis of the Apple. (thesis of Master's Degree) 1921 listed in Cornell University as "New York State College of Agriculture. Staff of instruction and extension...M.Sc. in Agr. Assistant in Entomology"]
But he wanted to focus on beekeeping. As there was no one at Cornell to teach him beekeeping he went to work with«b» Dr Phillips in Washington.«/b» Devised an instrument that utilized the weight of the bee to count bees. Thesis showed the length of time away at the flowers. Dr Phillips put in agood word for him at Cornell to have them award him a PhD.
Went on a extended trip over USA via Santa Fe Trail to California to visit bee keepers. Returned to Washington to prepare his thesis, then motored up to Ithaca to defend his thesis. Hit a snow storm. Rain frozen wiper to windshield so drove with the window open. Had an Oldsmobile. Sold the car for $400 then returned via England. Spent 2 weeks with my mother's sister [«b»Aunt Polly Johnson«/b»]. Went to Switzerland
Quibbled with the authoritioes about my commencing salary would be. Philips had said if all did d not go well in South Africa he would offer me a post in America. Reminded them that they had offered me pay of 400 pounds a year in a letter while I was away. Wanted a three or five year probation to be applied to me. «b» «/b», rebelled against Gen Smuts, service in Royal Flying Corp went against me...
Did the Great Depression effect you?
Father-in-law made a monthy payment to his daughter so that helped during the depression years. [Mr Kaden, farmer in Helbron] He also ran a liquor store and lent money to people.
Arnold was travelling quite a lot in connection of his work. Bought a Plymouth from a German instrument maker, price 175 pounds. Mr Kaden helped to clinch the deal.
Used to give courses at different centres.
During the 2nd World War they stopped giving courses at the Agricultural College so started to give courses which, although ridiculed, were very well attended.
State vs Lundie about keeping bees. Modified the municipal regulations. "When I started I went to the town Clerk to see if I could keep bees. There were no regulations so I carefully did the work in the cool of the evenings. Neighbour's child got stung lying on the daisy lawn so they worked up a case against me. So they changed the by laws making it impossible to keep bees in the city." So he moved the hives and many hives were stollen from me.
Defended myself in the Supreme Court... Similar case in Arkansas. Local judges likened it to a case about pigs... Municipality had the right to prevent him from having bees.
I was blessed by having two very clever children. Carol knew her alphabet at 18 months old.
John was very quick on the uptake. Took to music very well. Melody Way taught by Mr Rauke. Class conducted with 2 pianos the kids had to find their notes on the dummy keyboard. Very good at playing from memory. Did well at school. Taught himself to write long hand in a few minutes after I showed him how. Qualified as a medical doctor. We encouraged him but he didn't want to be a general practitioner then afterwards he got interested in radiology and went to England to study. Worked under«b» Dr Peter Kurley«/b»
[sp?] Offered a very good post in London but longed for the sunny SA climate so came back to SA. Everything in Pretoria was done in Afrikaans so he worked to learn.
Carol did well at Rhodes. Got a BA won two bursaries that paid for her master's degree (2 years). Got a post with Bagshaw and Jebo in PE. She was offered a lectureship at Wits psychology department. Later on won a bursery from the UNISA for 400 pounds a year for two years, where she got her PhD at Chicogo University. Met her husband there. Married and both got their degrees at the same time.
Our family works on our own cars. When did that start? My wife always needed the brakes on her farm Ford worked on. When she abandoned it I took the Ford up to Pretoria and a mechanic installed hydraulic brakes. The MG came into the family from Johannesburg. A friend was having difficulty with her car so John offered her 40 pounds for the car. He paid 50 pounds and installed batteries... John read up on how to dismantle it and took it to be reconditioned. Put it back themselves and asked why garages charged so much, when two inexperienced people could put it together. (Arnold & John)...
Snippets from the conversation byetween Arnold Lundie to his grandson, Martin Lundie
A pilot in the Great War [WW1] and went on to be SA's bee expert up to the 1940's
Studied in ITHACA, New York, USA from 1919 to 1925
Source: Andrew O Thompson
In about 1980 he drove his car along the back routes to get from Pretoria to Randburg to come and visit us.
The «b»1901 Scotland Census«/b» shows a 7-yr old brother Arnold Lundie living at 8 Spottiswoode St, in the district of Newington, Edinburgh Robertson Memorial parish where he is registered as a scholar. Living with him is his 20-yr old brother Frank, his 17-yr old sister, Mary Tasker Lundie and his 12-yr old brother, Marshall. Frank's parents were in Darwen, Lancashire, England, staying with his mother's sister and her husband, James and Mary Johnston "Aunt Polly", on the night the census was taken. [This record was difficult to find as the names were recorded as "John and Rebecca Lunder".]
«tab»«u»Arnold Ernest Lundie«/u» (1893-1982)
He attended the South African College (now UCT) and obtained a BSc in agriculture. During World War I, he served in South West Africa and then went to England where he got his wings in the Royal Flying Corps. On returning to South Africa he married Lucy Kaden (1891-1966) in 1919 and went to the USA on a scholarship to Cornell University where he obtained a Masters degree in 1921 on the woolly aphid that attacks apples and a PhD on bees in 1923.
On his return to SA he headed the Apiculture Section of the Dept. of Agriculture, but lost his job in 1933 as he was not bilingual - however, after passing his Afrikaans examinations he was reinstated and continued to head the department until he was well over the normal retirement age.
Arnold remembered when the Wright bros. made their first historic flight, and when he was in the States with Flora in 1981 visited the Smithsonian Museum in Washington to see the plane … they also witnessed the first man landing on the moon on TV.
Source:«u»Notes on the Lundie & Auld Families
«/u»compiled in 1989 by Jack Wakefield from Mary Crowther's records on the family in Scotland and information from Norah Stone, Frances Smith, Carol Pemberton, Anne Wakefield and David Lundie.
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School in the Transkei, then to The South African College (SACs), first for Engineering, then when he didn't get through the Maths, changed to an Agricultural degree course, also at SACs, same place. The students used to join the girls from the residential hostel, Spes Bona, which was where Lucy Kaden stayed while doing Music in Cape Town, and this was where Arnold and Lucy met. The young people used to go on picnics and hikes up the mountain in groups which were, I'm sure, well chaperoned !
He joined the army and was sent to SWA when war was declared, exactly when he went I'm not sure, but the campaign did not last very long and he went back to SACs and finished his degree and then, as you have, he joined the Royal Flying Corps and when the name was changed and he was one of the first pilots to get his wings in the Royal Air Force.
He returned to South Africa in 1919 and he and Lucy were married in Heilbron OFS in 1919 and, as you say, left for the US where he attended Cornell University in Ithaca in New York State. He had decided to specialise in Apiculture and after a time (how long we don't know, but he was at Cornell for at least a year as Carol was born at Christmas 1920 there in Ithaca but then his Professor felt that he (the Professor) was not knowledgable enough in Apiculture to examine or instruct Arnold in this aspect of Entomology so he sent him to Washington to Dr Phillips and it was there that he received his PhD.
After receiving his PhD the family drove across the United States, before returning to South Africa, to see the country. This may have been during one of the long University summer holidays as I remember Arnold saying that he would heat the milk for Carol's bottle on the car radiator. Whether she was still having a bottle after she was two years old I don't know. The milk could have been just for a milk drink and not a bottle, but I think he did say a bottle !
They then returned to this country and he obtained a job in the Entomology dept. as Apiculturist to the Government. He lost his job in 1932 with his lack of Afrikaans being the excuse but he got it back a few years later and continued in the position for some years after his retirement age.
Source: Dorothy "Mary" Haines later Lundie.
"...with regard to policy I am firmly convinced, apiculture fills a very important place in South African farming, particularly as a cash income to general farmers and small holder alike, that our scientifically trained apiculturist is assisting very materially in improving prospect along this line and that the abolition of the post would be a distinctly retrogressive step. There is furthermore a constant demand for advice and instruction which could not be adequately satisfied unless a new individual in some other post be sent into special training in both the scientific and practical aspects of the subject for this purpose. Such loss of time would be a real setback to the industry." Letter written from the chief of the Division of Plant Industry [Mr Lounsbury?] to Secratary of Agriculture, 5 Feb 1932.
Notes from the 1918 Diary of Arnold Lundie
Jan 17 Walked into Edington
Jan 23 Ppilots Hamilton & Hall killed
Jan 25 Went to Birmingham
Jan 27 Went to Birmingham
Feb 3 Met Snyman - not seen since Oxford days
Feb 4 Stahl & I walk
Feb 6 To Birmingham with Anderson
Feb7 Stahl to London - Listened to Capt Cuminghan, DSO MC
Feb 8 Talking to Snyman
Feb 10 Austin triplane
Feb 11 Birmingham with Snyman
Feb 14 Talking to Reed, Andreew Scroggs Cury & OèHara
Feb 25 ...met Kelly at SA Officerès Club
Mar 8 Up with Lt. Bryan
Apr 1 Graduation Leave - Colwyn Bay, Llandadno
Apr 22 1st flight in a SE5
Apr 26 with Strahl to Libbourne in SE5
may 9 OèLeary CVlark Chesters Stahl
June 12 SA Union with A Campbell
June 19 Lt Fielder in Sopworth Pup
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1893 - 1982 (88 years)
