Talk:J. Denis Summers-Smith

A fact from J. Denis Summers-Smith appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 26 April 2010, and was viewed approximately 1,493 times (disclaimer) (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that J. Denis Summers-Smith became an expert on sparrows by travelling as an expert in tribology?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2010/April.

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WP:COI edit requests

Residence Saltburn-by-the-Sea (since late 2018).
Add Category:Independent scientists.
Add to Independent scientist#Notable independent scientists.

Thanks, whatever the decision Narky Blert (talk) 22:21, 15 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

WP:COI / no WP:RS

I have it on good authority (i.e. I've seen photos of the letter from the French ambassador and the insignia) that by decree of the President of France on 21 June 2019, Summers-Smith was made Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in recognition of his part in the Liberation of France.

French governmental records are - shall we say - not the easiest to search, and I have no RS evidence to justify adding this to the article. Narky Blert (talk) 07:24, 11 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Death

Died peacefully 5 May 2020, essentially of old age, after a year or so of failing health (from personal knowledge). No WP:RS source as yet. Narky Blert (talk) 20:16, 7 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Place of death: Saltburn-by-the-Sea. No RS source. Narky Blert (talk) 21:05, 7 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

The Times obituary

Denis Summers-Smith obituary (paywall). I have WP:COI.

The photo is from the front dustjacket flap of On Sparrows and Man (2005).

The Guardian should also be publishing an obit, by a different writer. Narky Blert (talk) 17:16, 13 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

The Times obituary was published before the obituarist was able to confirm facts from family sources, and may contain errors (notably "Rebbick" in mistake for "Rebbeck" as the maiden name of his second wife). Paywall, so I haven't checked.

It is somewhat typical of The Times that they asked for a military photograph for, and put "Normandy veteran" in the first paragraph of, the obituary of someone who thought that WWII had wasted six years of his life. Narky Blert (talk) 23:00, 15 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Dutch obit

Moeliker, Kees (14 May 2020). "Een vriend van alle mussen ter wereld". NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). Narky Blert (talk) 20:48, 17 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

The Northern Echo obit

Conner-Hill, Rachel (19 May 2020). "Guisborough D-Day veteran turned leading sparrow expert dies at 99". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Possibly worth including as a WP:EL, but IMO not WP:RS. Regional newspaper. The spelling error "Ribbeck" for "Rebbeck" suggests reliance on the obit in The Times. I can nevertheless confirm the authenticity of the photos and of the info supplied by Stuart Worton. Narky Blert (talk) 20:51, 19 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

The Guardian obit

Moss, Stephen (19 May 2020). "Denis Summers-Smith obituary". The Guardian. IMO a very good source. Narky Blert (talk) 21:04, 19 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

British Birds obit

Parkin, David T. (August 2020). "James Denis Summers-Smith (1920-2020)". British Birds. 113 (8): 500–501.

IMO it's a very good source. This should be the last of them. Narky Blert (talk) 14:41, 6 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]