William 'Bill' Dreghorn, who was also a fine artist (please DO visit the permanent exhibition in Girne or Kyrenia castle!), has written and illustrated the following books on Cyprus: The geology of the Kyrenia Mountains, Landscapes in North Cyprus, The Antiquities of Kyrenia, The castles of North Cyprus, Famagusta and Salamis, The antiquities of Turkish Nicosia, Sketch Guide Book to Girne Harbour and Town, Sketch Guide Book to Magusa (Famagusta). Most are available on the Internet. - Hans Doeleman.

Since publication of the last 'Bedrock', the death of William Dreghorn has been recorded in a November issue of 'Cyprus Today', a weekly newspaper serving communities in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. It is fitting that a tribute be paid to the work in Gloucestershire of this remarkable man. For a number of years he was on the staff of St. Paul's College, Cheltenham, now the University of Gloucestershire, where he taught Natural Sciences. In particular, he was an enthusiastic teacher of geology and this is clearly evidenced by his authorship, in 1967, of Geology explained in the Severn Vale and Cotswolds, and of Geology explained in the Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley, which followed a year later. In these two books he makes plentiful use of his own truly excellent field sketches to depict the topography and in explaining the structure and processes which have produced it. He gives a lucid description of the stratigraphical succession of the numerous areas he deals with, and this renders such information more readily accessible than other sources. It is unfortunate that these two works, which almost exactly cover the entire county of Gloucestershire, are not now on sale, as I am sure they would find an extensive readership amongst walkers in search of a guide to the scenery, let alone the increasing number of those interested in geology. William's former pupils, several of whom are now themselves teachers, remember him for the eccentricity of his enthusiasm; he was one of the speakers at a somewhat motley gathering of teachers of geology held in Oxford in the 1960's, there were geographers, science teachers and former geologists and his practical approach spoke plainly of his wide experience. One story of his keeness delighted us; he was so eager to make full use of all the time given to him that, no doubt mindful of the time he had spent as a navigation instructor in the Royal Air Force, he had an astrodome installed above his bed to enable him to observe the heavens. Shortly after the end of the war, he took his wife and first child to New Zealand, where he taught for three years before returning to a teaching post with the R.A.F. in this country; and in due time to the teaching staff of St. Paul's Cheltenham. For the last thirty years he lived in Gime (Kyrenia) in North Cyprus, and contributed much to the culture of the region, pursuing studies in geology and completing a thesis for his Ph.D of London. He wrote 'Landscapes in North Cyprus' (1979), well known to people who are keen to explore this land, and 'Bays and Beaches of the North Cyprus Coast' (1988) with 83 pages of fascinating stories and the most beautiful watercolour illustrations. He kept other wide interests and did much in the field of local history and particularly in archaeology. In more recent years he moved his home to the old city of Gazi Magusa, a quieter locality, less bothered by traffic. It is in the British Cemetery there that he is buried.  

Source: All Crusades

***

WILLIAM DREGHORN Fragment about Nicosia from “The Antiquities of Turkish Nicosia”

WILLIAM DREGHORN Famagusta & Salamis. A Guide Book. (Fragment about Famagusta)