Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière Hammond | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 15 November 1907 Ayr, Scotland |
| Died | 24 March 2001(2001-03-24) (aged 93) Cambridge, England |
| Children | 3 (includingCaroline Bammel) |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Classicist |
| Sub-discipline | |
| Institutions | |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | Special Operations Executive |
| Years of service | 1940–1945 |
| Battles / wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Order Order of the Phoenix (Greece) |
Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière Hammond,CBE, DSO, FBA (15 November 1907 – 24 March 2001) was a British historian, geographer, classicist and an operative for the BritishSpecial Operations Executive (SOE) inoccupied Greece during theSecond World War.
Hammond was seen as the leading expert on the history ofancient Macedonia.[1][2] His trilogy,A History of Macedonia, has been described as the "most celebrated (and partly irreplaceable) work" on the subject.[3] Additionally, he was recognised for his meticulous research on thegeography,historical topography and history ofancient Epirus.[4]
Nicholas Hammond was born on 15 November 1907 in Ayr, Scotland to James Vavasour Hammond, anEpiscopalianrector, and Dorothy May.[5] Hammond studied classics atFettes College[6] andGonville and Caius College, Cambridge. In 1929, while he was still a student, Hammond began his personal exploration of all the ancient sites inEpirus.[7] He excelled in his exams and also spent vacations exploring Greece on foot, acquiring knowledge of the topography and terrain. He also spent some time insouthern Albania (Northern Epirus) where he learnt theAlbanian language.[8] These abilities led him to be recruited by theSpecial Operations Executive during World War II in 1940. His activities included many dangerous sabotage missions in Greece (especially on the Greek island ofCrete). As an officer, in 1944 he was in command of the Allied military mission to theGreek resistance inThessaly andMacedonia.[4] There he came to know those regions thoroughly. He published a memoir of his war service entitledVenture into Greece in 1983; he was awarded theDistinguished Service Order and the GreekOrder of the Phoenix.
In the postwar period, Hammond returned to academia as senior tutor atClare College, Cambridge. In 1954, he became headmaster ofClifton College, Bristol and in 1962 was appointed Henry Overton Wills Professor of Greek atBristol University, a post which he held until his retirement in 1973. He was elected a Fellow of theBritish Academy in 1968[9] and an honorary member of theCentre des Nouvelles études de l'histoire, de la philosophie et des problèmes sociaux à Clermont-Ferrand in 1988.[citation needed]
His scholarship focused on the history ofancient Macedonia andancient Epirus,[4] and he was considered the leading expert on Macedonia.[2] He was also editor and contributor to various volumes of theCambridge Ancient History and the second edition of theOxford Classical Dictionary. He was known for his works aboutAlexander the Great and for suggesting the relationship ofVergina withAegae, the ancient Macedonian royal city, before the archaeological discoveries. In later years, Hammond backed Greece during theMacedonia name dispute.[8]
On 24 March 2001, while attending a concert atJesus College, Cambridge, Hammond collapsed and died at the age of 93.[5]
Hammond was the father of two sons (both educated at Clifton College) and three daughters includingCaroline Bammel, historian of the early church.[10]
Nicholas Hammond Close, built on the formerJoint Services School of Intelligence site inAshford, Kent, is named after him.
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