R. S. R. Fitter facts for kids

Richard Sidney Richmond Fitter (born March 1, 1913 – died September 3, 2005) was a British naturalist and writer. He loved nature and was especially good at identifying wildflowers. He wrote many helpful books for people who were just starting to learn about nature.

Richard Fitter's Early Life and Education

Richard Fitter was born in London, England, on March 1, 1913. He was the only son of Sidney and Dorothy Fitter.

He went to school at Eastbourne College. Later, he studied at the London School of Economics.

In 1938, he married Alice Mary Stewart, who was often called Maisie. They had two sons and one daughter. Maisie passed away in 1996.

Working During World War II

During the Second World War, Richard Fitter worked for the RAF Coastal Command. This part of the Royal Air Force helped protect ships from enemy attacks.

While working there, he spent two hours every evening writing a book. This book was about the natural world found in London's cities. It was published in May 1945 and was his first book, called London's Natural History.

After the war, in 1945, he helped plan how to protect nature as Britain rebuilt itself.

Life in the Countryside

In 1946, Fitter became an assistant editor for The Countryman magazine. He moved from London to Burford, a town in Oxfordshire.

His book, The Pocket Guide to British Birds (1952), became very popular. It helped make him a bestselling author.

Later in his life, he moved to Great Shelford, near Cambridge. He passed away in Cambridge on September 3, 2005, and his children survived him.

Richard Fitter's Work and Books

Richard Fitter wrote many books about nature. He was also very active in groups that worked to protect the environment. His wife, Maisie, often helped him with his research. They even wrote a book together called The Penguin Dictionary of British Natural History (1967).

Family Collaboration

Richard's son, Alastair Fitter, is now a professor of biology. They worked together on three books:

• Guide to the Countryside (1984)
• Field Guide to the Freshwater Life of Britain and NW Europe (1986)
• Wild Flowers of Britain and Ireland (2003)

In 2002, Richard and Alastair also wrote an important paper for the science magazine Science. They looked at how global warming was changing when plants bloom.

Popular Nature Guides

Richard Fitter wrote the Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds in 1952. This book started a new way of creating field guides. It was very helpful for people who were new to birdwatching.

Instead of grouping birds by their scientific names, his guide grouped them by things like:

• Where they live (their habitat)
• Their size
• Their color

This made it much easier for beginners to identify birds.

His book Pocket Guide to Wild Flowers (1956), which he wrote with David McClintock, grouped flowers by color. This also made identification simpler. His Fontana Wild Flower Guide (1957) showed which plants could be found in different parts of the country.

Protecting Nature

Richard Fitter was deeply involved with many nature conservation groups. These included:

• The Council for Nature
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature
• The Fauna and Flora Preservation Society (now Fauna and Flora International)

He also served on the boards of the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and the British Trust for Ornithology. He even started the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Naturalists' Trust. In 1968, he helped create the British Deer Society to study and manage deer.

The Loch Ness Monster

Interestingly, Richard Fitter was also involved in the search for the famous Loch Ness Monster. He was a director of the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau.

Awards and Recognition

Richard Fitter received several special awards for his work:

• The Order of the Golden Ark from the Netherlands (1978)
• The Peter Scott Medal from the British Naturalists' Association (1998)
• The Christopher Cadbury Medal from the Royal Society for Nature Conservation

In 2008, the British Naturalists' Association created the Richard Fitter Memorial Medal. This award is given every year to someone who is a dedicated and active naturalist.

Richard Fitter's Hobbies

Richard Fitter had a unique hobby: he collected notes on 'bird inn signs'. These are signs outside pubs or inns that feature birds.

He wrote about this hobby in a newspaper article in the Birmingham Daily Post on March 22, 1955. He said he started collecting them during the Second World War as a way to relax from the serious times. By 1955, he had collected hundreds of signs featuring about 38 different types of birds.

Richard Fitter's article about collecting bird inn signs in the Birmingham Daily Post - March 22, 1955