Michael Cobb (railway historian)
Encyclopedia
Michael Cobb PhD
FRICS (10 September 1916 – 23 June 2010) was a British Army
officer and railway historian who served in the Second World War and later became the oldest person ever to be awarded a PhD from the University of Cambridge
in 2008, for his work "The Railways of Great Britain: A Historical Atlas" which set out to map and record every railway station and line in existence in Britain between 1807 and 1994.
and attended Harrow School
and read Mechanical Sciences at Magdalene College, Cambridge
. On taking his degree in 1938, Cobb joined the Royal Engineers
and in 1940 participated in the Battle of France
and the Dunkirk evacuation. For the rest of the war, Cobb served with an airborne commando force, but he was never deployed in combat, his troopship being sunk in the Mediterranean Sea
en route to the Far East
in 1944. After the war he served in Burma and Egypt
before becoming superintendent of the Royal School of Military Survey
. He retired in 1965 as a colonel and spent some years as a professional cartographer before becoming fully retired in 1971.
Cobb had been a lifelong railway enthusiast, and in 1978 he set about creating the most detailed study of the history and geography of British railways ever attempted. For 18 years he researched and wrote his atlas, completing it in 1996 and getting it published in 2004. The book went through two editions, and with the support of Magdalene College, Cobb submitted his research for a PhD and was accepted, receiving his doctorate in 2008. His work has been highly praised, the head of Cambridge's geography faculty describing it as "a remarkable piece of scholarship . . . It's not just of interest to the enthusiast, but a vital tool for anyone seriously interested in the economy, geography and history of Great Britain. There's nothing like it."
Cobb died on 23 June 2010, survived by three sons.
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
FRICS (10 September 1916 – 23 June 2010) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer and railway historian who served in the Second World War and later became the oldest person ever to be awarded a PhD from the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in 2008, for his work "The Railways of Great Britain: A Historical Atlas" which set out to map and record every railway station and line in existence in Britain between 1807 and 1994.
Life
Cobb was born in 1916 at Harrow WealdHarrow Weald
Harrow Weald is an area in north-west London, England. It includes a suburban development and forms part of the London Borough of Harrow.-Locale, geography and history:...
and attended Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and read Mechanical Sciences at Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
. On taking his degree in 1938, Cobb joined the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
and in 1940 participated in the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
and the Dunkirk evacuation. For the rest of the war, Cobb served with an airborne commando force, but he was never deployed in combat, his troopship being sunk in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
en route to the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
in 1944. After the war he served in Burma and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
before becoming superintendent of the Royal School of Military Survey
Royal School of Military Survey
The Defence College of Intelligence Royal School of Military Survey is ajoint services survey training facility associated with the Corps of Royal Engineers but attached to the United Kingdom Defence Intelligence and Security Centre ....
. He retired in 1965 as a colonel and spent some years as a professional cartographer before becoming fully retired in 1971.
Cobb had been a lifelong railway enthusiast, and in 1978 he set about creating the most detailed study of the history and geography of British railways ever attempted. For 18 years he researched and wrote his atlas, completing it in 1996 and getting it published in 2004. The book went through two editions, and with the support of Magdalene College, Cobb submitted his research for a PhD and was accepted, receiving his doctorate in 2008. His work has been highly praised, the head of Cambridge's geography faculty describing it as "a remarkable piece of scholarship . . . It's not just of interest to the enthusiast, but a vital tool for anyone seriously interested in the economy, geography and history of Great Britain. There's nothing like it."
Cobb died on 23 June 2010, survived by three sons.