Louis William Gordon Malcolm
| Louis William Gordon Malcolm MSc PhD RGA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| Born | 1888 | ||||
| Died | 1946 | ||||
| Residence |
c/o Rev. F.E. Harry, Auburn, Victoria, Australia c/o YMCA, Flinders Street, Melbourne [1913] c/o The Royal Colonial Institute, Northumberland Avenue, WC [1915] Christ's College, Cambridge [1919] Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Queen's Road, Bristol [1923] 54a Wigmore Streeet, W1 [1925] The Wellcome Historical Museum, 183 Euston Road, NW1 [1933] Robins Hearne, Northwood, Middx [1935] Horniman Museum, Forest Hill, SE23 [1937] | ||||
| Occupation |
anthropologist museum work | ||||
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Contents
Notes
Office Notes
RAI Council 1928 Member
RAI Council 1929 Member
RAI Council 1930-31 Member
RAI Council 1932-33 Member
RAI Council 1933-34 Member
House Notes
1911.10.31 nominated; proposed by John Grey, seconded by J. Edge Partington
Mining engineer
Notes From Elsewhere
Gordon, Louis William Gordon
Originally from Australia, L. W. G. Malcolm trained as an anthropologist at Cambridge with A. C. Haddon and W. H. R. Rivers, receiving an MA before apparently continuing his studies in Germany. He worked for a time as curator of archaeology and ethnography at the Bristol Municipal Museum.
In 1926, Malcolm replaced C. J. S. Thompson as the Conservator (ie curator) of the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum. Like Wellcome, Malcolm seems to have planned an arrangement for the museum which saw medical history as simply one aspect of anthropology. His appointment brought the museum some academic credibility, and a series of connections with notable anthropologists – including Malcolm’s former tutor, A. C. Haddon, who, newly-retired, offered his services as an 'advisor in Ethnology'. Nonetheless, the museum’s approach remained broadly conservative: Malcolm's main interests seem to have lain with physical anthropology, and his displays tended to favour the arrangement of objects in developmental series. He continued to research during his conservatorship, and was awarded a PhD by the University of Cambridge for his 1933 thesis on 'Medical museums: an historical and bibliographic study'.
From 1935 until October 1937, Malcolm was part of the London County Council's inspectorate, organising the use of museum collections for teaching in London schools. In October 1937, he succeeded H. S. Harrison as Curator (ie director) of the Horniman Museum, a position he held until his death in 1946.
Louis William Gordon Büchner-Malcolm attended the Ballarat School of Mines (SMB) from 1907-9 and 1911, gaining certificates in mine management and geology. He served during World War 1 as an officer in the Royal Garrison Artillery and saw action in both France and West Africa.
Born in Bourke, New South Wales in 1885 to Mechanics Institute librarian Otto L.G. Büchner and Catherine Malcolm, the family relocated to Katoomba in the early 1890s where they suffered two tragedies. In 1894, Otto abandoned his family and then in 1896, a tragic house fire cost the lives of Louis’ four younger siblings.
Lieut. Büchner-Malcolm attended Katoomba Superior public school. After leaving school he became a staff member at the Australian Museum in Sydney. Whilst in Sydney he passed an examination in geology at Sydney Technical College.
In 1907, Lieut. Büchner-Malcolm commenced studying at the Ballarat School of Mines. After completing his studies, Louis went to the University of Melbourne as a Government Research Scholar in anatomy and obtained numerous scholarships.
He was undertaking research at Zurich University when war broke out. Melbourne Punch reported that he had been with the Australian Voluntary Hospital for five months before he obtained a commission in the Royal Field Artillery at Portsmouth as L.W.G. Büchner-Malcolm. [1]
In August 1914, Lieut. Büchner-Malcolm went to France with the Imperial Expeditionary Force; and the following month he was attached to the Nigeria Regiment, West African Frontier Force.
In November 1915, he was part of the capture of Banyo Mountain in Cameroon with Brigadier-General Cunliffe’s force. He left the following account of his experiences during the Banyo Mountain expedition. [2]
He remained with the artillery until 1919 making it to Temporary Captain.
Whilst in West Africa he undertook research into the Eghap people of central Cameroon.
After the war he studied at Christ’s College, Cambridge as LWG Malcolm, where he graduated in 1921 with a Master’s degree in Anthropology.
He moved on to work in the museum sector, gaining employment at various British institutions such as the Horniman Museum and Wellcome Historical Medical Museum. In 1932 he completed his PhD at Christ’s College, Cambridge in the Faculty of Medicine on ‘Medical Museums: An Historical and Bibliographic Study’.
Büchner’s life history has been difficult to piece together, in part because of his name change.
He was originally known as LWG Buchner and in 1915 adopted his mother’s maiden name to become Buchner-Malcolm.
By the end of the war he used his mother’s maiden name exclusively, becoming known as Louis William Gordon Malcolm or LWG Malcolm.
We can speculate as to the reason for these name changes. Perhaps he did not wish to have a German surname due to the strong anti-German feeling associated with the outbreak of World War I.
Lieut. Büchner-Malcolm is believed to be the first SMB alumnus to complete a PhD and the first at an overseas university.
His story is an important part of the history of Ballarat, both in terms of its academic history and its military history
Publications
External Publications
A study of the curvatures of the Tasmanian aboriginal cranium / by L.W.G. Buchner
The Wellcome Historical Medical Museum
Malcolm. L.W.G.
Published by The Wellcome Foundation, London, 1927
House Publications
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