James D. Firth

James Digby Firth was born in Huddersfield in 1877, the son of James Firth and Sarah Ann Child. He became a schoolteacher and taught at Archbishop Holgate’s Grammar School in York and then at Leeds Modern School where he remained from 1901 until his retirement in 1938. He was a pioneer in the teaching of nature study in secondary schools and his enthusiasm was such that it earned him the nickname of “Bug Willie”. In 1908 he married Teresa Maud Fitzpatrick and they had one son, Francis. Teresa died in 1967 and the following year, at the age of 90, he married Alice Bertha Wilson.

Firth’s enthusiasm for natural history extended far beyond his career as a schoolmaster. He was an active member of several local societies, contributing lectures and articles and establishing his reputation as a prominent Yorkshire naturalist. He was also a keen collector of both stamps and coins, playing a key role in the relevant local societies and publishing articles nationally. For many years he was Honorary Curator of the Leeds University Stamp Collection and in 1956, received an honorary M.A. from the University. In presenting him for that degree, Professor Le Patourel noted that Firth had been “president, vice-president and fellow of more learned societies than I can conveniently name: numismatics, conchology, philately, archaeology, natural history and local history”.

Firth remained an active contributor to these fields of study well into his 80s. He died in Leeds in September 1968.