David Alan Stevenson FRSE, F.I.C.E., FRSGS (7 February 1891 – 22 December 1971) was a lighthouse engineer from the famous Stevenson lighthouse-builder family[1] and noted amateur philatelist.
D. Alan Stevenson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 February 1891 |
| Died | 22 December 1971 (aged 80) Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
| Occupation(s) | engineer, architect |
| Employer | Northern Lighthouse Board |
| Spouse | Jessie MacLaggan |
| Parent(s) | Charles Alexander Stevenson (father) Margaret Sherriff (mother) |
In 1951, Stevenson was awarded the Crawford Medal by the Royal Philatelic Society London for his work The Triangular Stamps of Cape of Good Hope.[2][3]
Life
editHe was born at 9 Manor Place[4] on 7 February 1891, the son of Margaret Sherriff and Charles Alexander Stevenson.[5] He was the last of a long line of lighthouse engineers. He was named after his uncle, David Alan Stevenson but was generally called Alan. The family lived at 9 Manor Place in Edinburgh's West End.[6] He was educated at Edinburgh Academy 1899 to 1903, then studied civil engineering at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with a BSc in 1912.[7]
In 1911, he was living with his family at 28 Douglas Crescent.[8]
In World War I, he served as a captain in the Royal Marines as an engineer. His duties included setting guidance lights on the Dardanelles to aid shipping there.[9]
In 1919, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Charles Alexander Stevenson (his father), David Alan Stevenson (his uncle), William A. P. Tait, James Simpson Pirie, Sir Thomas Hudson Beare and Harry Rainy.[7]
Until 1938, he was an engineer of the Northern Lighthouse Board and thereafter spent his life working for the Clyde Lighthouse Trust.[10] His work on the Clyde was pre-empted in 1934 by a commission to deepen the river in order to have capacity to launch the RMS Queen Mary.[9]
He died on 22 December 1971 and was buried in the first northern extension to Dean Cemetery in western Edinburgh. The grave lies immediately alongside his parents.
Family
editHe was married to Jessie MacLaggan (1897–1973).
Family tree
editAlan's position in the family tree shows his long pedigree as an engineer.
| Robert Stevenson engineering family tree | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Selected publications
edit- The Triangular Stamps of Cape of Good Hope (New York, London, Sydney: H.R. Harmer, 1950)
- The World's Lighthouses before 1820 (1959)
References
edit- ^ "D Alan Stevenson". DSA Architect Biography Report. Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ The Society's medals and honorary fellowship. The Royal Philatelic Society London, 2009, p. 3.
- ^ Who Was Who in British Philately, Association of British Philatelic Societies, 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013. Archived here.
- ^ Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1891
- ^ Grave of C A Stevenson, Dean Cemetery
- ^ Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1891-2
- ^ a b Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783 – 2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1911
- ^ a b "D. Alan Stevenson from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Bellrock.org.uk : Stevensons : D. Alan Stevenson 1891-1971". www.bellrock.org.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
External links
edit- "Bellrock.org.uk : Stevensons : D. Alan Stevenson 1891-1971". bellrock.org.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2018.