Tom Hatherley Pear

Tom Hatherley Pear (22 March 1886 – 14 May 1972) was a British psychologist. He was the first professor of psychology in England. He was president of the British Psychological Society.[1]

Biography

He was born 22 March 1886.

He had two sons Richard Pear, political scientist;[2] Professor of American Politics at Nottingham University. His other son Brian was killed in the Second World War.[3] He was a flail tank commander, led the attack on his sector of the beach on D-Day and was killed in action later that year on the Maas, when he interposed his tank between a damaged one and enemy fire to permit the crew of the former to escape. He also had two daughters. Marjorie, a very talented pianist and harpsichord player, married a barrister who rose to High Court Judge, and Stella, who married a GP, and served for several decades as a Magistrate on the Bench adult and Juvenile, in Grimsby and latterly in Bradford. Pear was actively involved in the system of assisting refugees and the family became a safe house during the Kindertransport. Many of those who passed through on their way to the US or who stayed in the UK became long term family friends. A professor from Utrecht was found a lecturing post at Manchester University, before he too went to the US.

During WWI Pear, who had just returned from studying in Würzburg, became a Conscientious Objector, and served at Maghull Hospital, examining and then treating what was then known as "Shell Shock", then "Battle Psychosis", and is now acknowledged as PTSD He was in regular correspondence with, and visited Rivers at Craiglockhart, where Sasson and Owen were patients

He died on 14 May 1972.

References
  1. PEAR, Prof. Tom Hatherley, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online ed., Oxford University Press, Dec 2007, accessed 29 Jan 2012
  3. "Casualty Details: Brian Hatherley Pear". Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
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