Sidney Gerald Burrard facts for kids

Sir Sidney Gerald Burrard, the 7th Baronet, was a British army officer and a very important surveyor. He was born on August 12, 1860, and passed away on March 16, 1943. Sir Sidney became the Surveyor General of India. He played a big part in the Great Trigonometrical Survey, especially in the amazing Himalayas. He also figured out why some measurements were a bit off in the mountains.

Early Life and Education

Sidney Burrard was born on the beautiful Isle of Wight in England. His family was well-known; his father was Lieutenant-Colonel Sidney Burrard. Sidney went to school in Lymington first. Then, in 1873, he went to Uppingham School. He was really good at math there!

In 1874, he moved to Wellington College. Again, he was excellent in mathematics. Because of his talent, his father decided that Sidney would be a great fit for the Royal Engineers.

Joining the Army and Surveying

Sidney joined the Royal Engineers on April 6, 1879. He trained at the Royal School of Military Engineering in Chatham. In 1882, he sailed to India. There, he joined the Bengal Engineer Group at Roorkee. He also took part in an expedition in Baluchistan.

In 1884, Sidney joined the Survey of India. This happened because a friend, W.H. Pollen, heard about an opening. The job was for a young Royal Engineer who was good at math. Pollen suggested Sidney's name to Lord Ripon, who was the Viceroy.

Sidney worked at Dehra Dun with other experts. He helped study tiny errors in land measurements. They discovered these errors were caused by the huge Himalayan mountains. The mountains' gravity slightly pulled on the tools used for measuring.

Family and Achievements

In 1887, Sidney Burrard married Gertrude Ellen Haig. Her father was the head of the Trigonometrical Survey. In 1890, Sidney and Gertrude went to England. Gertrude, who was an artist, used this time to study painting.

Later, Sidney worked at a special observatory that measured ocean tides on the Red Sea. In 1899, he became the Superintendent of the Trigonometrical Survey. He then became the Surveyor General in 1908.

He received important awards for his work. In 1911, he became a Companion of the Order of the Star of India (CSI). In 1914, he was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI). This meant he was given the title "Sir." In 1913, he also received the Victoria Medal from the Royal Geographical Society. Sir Sidney also helped organize the Indian Science Congress.

Sir Sidney left India in 1919 and retired to Farnborough, Hampshire in England. Sadly, Lady Burrard passed away in 1928.

In 1933, he became the 7th Baronet after his cousin. In 1935, he married Alice Simons, but she passed away in 1938. Sir Sidney and Gertrude had two children, a son and a daughter. His son, Major Sir Gerald Burrard, became an expert on firearms.

Sir Sidney Burrard passed away in 1943.