Andrew Charles O'Dell FRSE FRGS FRSGS (1909–1966) was a Scottish geographer and antiquarian. A keen railway enthusiast he left a large collection of railway memorabilia to Aberdeen University, known as the O'Dell Collection.[1] He was joint founder of the Institute of British Geographers in 1933.

He was best known to the general public for his involvement in the discovery of the St Ninian's Isle Treasure in Shetland, in 1959.[2]

Life edit

He was born on 4 June 1909 in Luipardsvlei in the Transvaal Colony, the son of Charles O'Dell. His mother was from the Scottish Borders. He was educated at Westminster City School in London. He then studied Geography at Kings College University of London. From 1945 he was Head of the Department Geography at Aberdeen University.[3]

In 1951 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Alan Grant Ogilvie, John Baird Simpson, James Robert Matthews and Henry Marshall Steven.[4]

He died suddenly on 17 June 1966.

Family edit

In 1938 he married Queenie Louise Smith.

Publications edit

  • The Scandinavian World (1958)
  • Geography: Our Earth and Its Peoples (1967)
  • Railways and Geography (1971)
  • The Railways of Scotland

References edit

  1. ^ "O' Dell Collection | Collection Level Descriptions | the University of Aberdeen".
  2. ^ "Andrew Charles O'Dell". Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers (42): 189–192. 1967. JSTOR 621384.
  3. ^ "Andrew Charles O'Dell". Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers (42): 189–192. 1967. JSTOR 621384.
  4. ^ Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2017.