| Activity | Sir John Smith Flett was known as a well-respected geologist. He was affected by partial deafness for most of his life. He became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1913; awarded the OBE in 1918 and the KBE in 1925.
1892 graduated Edinburgh University with honours in Natural Science.
1895 assistant and later lecturer in petrology under professor James Geikie.
1901 he was appointed petrographer to the Geological Survey of Great Britain. He held this post until 1911. He published research on the geology of the Highlands & Islands and the South West of England. He also studied the volcanic forms of the islands Soufriere and Mont Pelee in the West Indies.
1911 he became Assistant Director to the Geological Survey, Scotland.
1920 became director of the Geological Survey of Great Britain. He gave many lectures on geology during his career and many examples may be found in the NHM Library and Archives. He was involved with the project to find new grounds for the museum of practical geology, which opened in 1935 in South Kensington and which in 1947 became headquarters for the International Geological Congress. The Flett Theatre, which opened around 1976 in the Geology Museum, was named in honour of him.
On his retirement Flett received a knighthood.
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