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Archaeologist, teacher. Born 27 January 1922, son of Charles Amyas Alexander and Lily Mary née Blackman of Steyning, Sussex. Fellow of St John's College 1976-2010; Lecturer in Archaeology, St John's College 1978-1986; Lecturer in Archaeology, University of Cambridge 1977-1986. Matriculated Pembroke 1945; BA in History 1948; Diploma in Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, 1956; PhD in Archaeology 1960 (again at Pembroke); ScD 1990. Staff Tutor in Archaeology, Department of Extra-Mural Studies, Cambridge University, 1958-1965; Staff Lecturer in Archaeology, Department of Extra-Mural Studies, University of London, 1965-1974.

On leaving school Alexander volunteered for the Indian Army, learned Urdu, and served with the 14th Army in Burma to 1945. He taught history in the Sudan 1948-1953, where he assisted Peter Shinnie with excavations and compiling schedules of ancient sites during summer holidays, and developed courses and a textbook on Sudanese archaeology for Sudanese pupils. He returned in 1963 to work with Shinnie on rescue excavations at Debeira in advance of the Aswan Dam.

In addition to the important work in the Sudan in the 1960s, Alexander is known especially for his work on the Yugoslav Iron Age (on which he wrote his PhD), at Qasr Ibrim in Lower Nubia (chiefly 1980-1986), and at sites in Cambridge and Cambridgeshire over many decades.

He was a dedicated member and long-serving officer of many societies, ranging from the West Essex Prehistory Society to the European Forum for African Archaeology, and helped to found Rescue, the British Archaeological Trust. Other appointments included Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (1958), Vice-President of both the Council for British Archaeology and the Prehistoric Society, Vice-Chairman of the Sudan Archaeological Research Society, Council member of the Egypt Exploration Society and the British Institute in Eastern Africa and President of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society.

Amongst his numerous publications are 'The Directing of Archaeological Excavations' (1970); 'Yugoslavia Before the Roman Conquest' (1972); and (with Joyce Pullinger) 'Roman Cambridge: Excavations on Castle Hill, 1956-1982', Cambridge Antiquarian Society (2000). He was also the founding editor of the 'Cambridge Monographs in African Archaeology' series.

Highly respected as a teacher and a field man, along with recollecting his 'famously chaotic' working life colleagues remember the staunch support and encouragement he gave to young scholars in this country and in Africa, as well as his commitment to adult education, particularly in his development of extramural studies in archaeology, including certificate and diploma courses.

Alexander was awarded the Centenary Medal of the University of Khartoum in 1999 and an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by the same institution in 2000. He was honoured by a festschrift, 'Fifty Years in the Archaeology of Africa', in 'Azania' (Journal of the British Institute in Eastern Africa, Vol. 39, 2004). Alexander died on 17 August 2010.

BA 1890

BA 1876

Daughter of 1st Duke of Kent, grandaughter of King George VI.

Cousin of T. R. Glover.

Of Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Born in St Petersburg, the young Allan was sent to Germany in 1912 to work in the textile trade. During the First World War he served with the British Intelligence Services. Escaping from Russia after the Revolution, Allan spent a year travelling in the United States, Central and South America, before returning to Germany in 1922 to pursue his career in the textile industry. After several years working for the chemical group Bayer in India, Allan returned to Europe to marry Marie Retteré in 1925. His work then took him to Australia and New Zealand, where his son Peter Gerald Allan was born in 1926, and back to India. Photography was Allan's favourite hobby (he amassed a collection of over 50 cameras) and in 1929 he was invited to undertake photographic work for Agfa in Cairo, one of Bayer's subsidiaries. From Agfa, Allan moved to Green's Commercial Agencies, taking over the Photographic, Electrical and Cinema departments. In his spare time Allan explored the Sinai Desert and visited St Catherine's Monastery, where he photographed most of its considerable treasures (some of his photographs were published in 'Sinai' by Heinz Skrobucha (London, 1966)). In 1938 Allan accompanied Tony Howard Jones on a survey of the western desert of Egypt and he seems to have been further involved with British Intelligence at various other times during his career. During the Second World War Allan took charge of the British Forces' purchases of radio transmitters and receivers, cinematic and other equipment from Green's. The immediate post-war years were successful ones for Green's, with Allan heading up the Engineering division. Following the Suez crisis of 1956, Allan was forced to leave Egypt, losing virtually everything, and he subsequently settled in London. He died in 1960. In addition to his interest in photography, Allan enjoyed shooting and fishing, and was a keen collector of tropical fish.

University of Newcastle.