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Guy Coburn Robson, born 1888, was educated at Forest School, Walthamstow, England, United Kingdom. He entered New College, Oxford, in 1906, where he obtained a second class in Classical Moderations in 1908, and a first class in Natural Science in 1910.
Also in 1910, Robson spent five months at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn in Naples, Italy, on an Oxford University Biological Scholarship.
In 1911, Robson was appointed Assistant in Charge of Mollusca and Brachiopoda at the British Museum (Natural History) (BMNH), London, in the Department of Zoology. On 10th November that year, Robson became a Member of the Malacological Society of London.
In 1913 Robson was appointed as the first Head of the Mollusca Section.
During the First World War (1914-1918) Robson served with the Red Cross, and with the Royal Garrison Artillery.
After the war Robson served from 1921-1928 as Secretary of the Challenger Society, as well as on the editorial board of The British Journal of Experimental Biology from 1923-1924, and from 1923-1926 as Treasurer of the Society of Experimental Biologists.
Robson was appointed Assistant Keeper of the BMNH on 1st January 1926. During his tenure as Assistant Keeper Robson published two notable works:
1926: The first volume of A Monograph of the Recent Cephalopoda Based on the Collections in the British Museum (Natural History)
1928: The Species Problem: An Introduction to the Study of Evolutionary Divergence in Natural Populations.
On 19th February 1928 Robson was elected Vice-President of the Malacological Society of London. On 14th February 1930 he was then Elected President of the Malacological Society of London.
On 1st April 1931, Robson was appointed Deputy Keeper of the BMNH.
While in this role he published two further monographs:
1932: The second volume of A Monograph of the Recent Cephalopoda Based on the Collections in the British Museum (Natural History).
1936: The Variations of Animals and Plants in Nature, with Owain Westmacott Richards (1901-1984).
Also during his time as Deputy Keeper, Robson was re-elected as Vice-President of the Malacological Society of London (14th February 1936).
At the Trustees Standing Committee meeting on the 24th October 1936, a report was read that for some time Robson had been suffering from mental ill health that had prevented him from properly discharging his duties, and which had placed an unfair burden on other staff members. It was noted that Robson’s case deserved the utmost sympathy, and it was directed that the Treasury be approached with the question of Robson’s retirement on the grounds of ill health.
Robson then retired due to ill health on 28th November 1936. Shortly afterwards, he admitted himself to Bethlem Royal Hospital, London, United Kingdom. He was discharged and readmitted multiple times, discharging for the last time in June 1944.
On 15th August 1944 Robson was admitted to Holloway Sanatorium, at Virginia Water, Surrey, United Kingdom.
Robson died in 1945. |