Henry Thomas Tizard, 1885-1959

Abstract

Henry Thomas Tizard was born at Gillingham, Kent, on 23 August 1885. His father, Capt. Thomas Henry Tizard, R.N., G.B., F.R.S., was in the hydrographic service of the Navy, of which, in 1891, he was appointed Assistant Hydrographer. His mother was Mary Elizabeth Churchward. H .T .T . was the only son. He had two older and two younger sisters. His father lived until 1924 and his mother until 1931. O n his father’s side, his grandfather was a ship owner and coal merchant at Weymouth. H .T.T. believed that the Tizards were originally Huguenots, who settled in Weymouth early in the 17th century. He had no record of their activities. On his m other’s side, there is evidence of engineering among his ancestors. His grandfather was a civil engineer, first at Malta Dockyard, and later at Pembroke Dockyard. A relatively remote ancestor (1628-1700) on this side was Sir Paul Rycaut, F.R.S., (elected 1666). Little is known about him. He was an author and traveller. H .T .T . had a good memory, particularly for the events of his early childhood—memories of the dockyard at Chatham, and the building of ships, and of sailors encouraging him to climb a rope ladder up a mast. When his father moved to the Admiralty in 1891, the family lived at Surbiton, and here he went to his first school, ‘Enfield House’, kept by three maiden ladies. The mathematics master, Verey, he described as a magnificent teacher —to whom he owed more than he could tell. Indeed, he attributed much of such success as he had in later life to his grounding in mathematics at this school, where he remained for eight years. Following the tradition of his father’s family, he expected to enter the Navy, but in 1899, when due for the Entrance Examination, he discovered a blind patch in his right eye. A specialist said that it would probably clear, which it eventually did. But the Navy being now out of the question it was decided that he should sit for a Scholarship at Westminster. His good mathematical training at his Preparatory School earned him an Exhibition. He was soon awarded a Scholarship, without which it was apparently unlikely that the family finances would have enabled him to remain at Westminster.