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Bernard Tinker
Bernard Tinker was born in 1930, in Lancashire and moved with his family to Norway in 1940. There they lived through the German occupation until the end of the war. His father, (a ...view moreBernard Tinker was born in 1930, in Lancashire and moved with his family to Norway in 1940. There they lived through the German occupation until the end of the war. His father, (a Cotton Mill manager) was imprisoned by the Germans for 5 years and his family lived without his help and support. They suffered many hardships including shortages of food, heat and clothing. At eleven years old he was caught by a German soldier in a forbidden area, and could easily have been shot.
Following his return to England he was educated as a soil scientist and chemist and was awarded a PhD from Oxford University for his research. He then worked for the British Government in the Colonial Scientific Service in Nigeria on the improvement of Oil Palms for 7 years.
Bernards book describes many facets of the British life in Nigeria under the British influence and the problems of the diseases and pests in this tropical country. He suffered from River Blindness in Nigeria, but was finally cured.
Upon his return to England he held academic positions at the University of Leeds and Rothamsted Research Station and was finally a Director of the National Environment Research Council (NERC). He has made significant contributions to our understanding of Soil Science and the Oil Palm and has published more than 175 scientific papers and made a major contribution to the production of the Oil Palm in several tropical countries.
Following retirement he developed a serious disease called Cerebral Vasculitis that was expected to be fatal, but he survived and is still active and lives in Oxfordshire.view less