British Museum (Natural History): Department of Entomology: Diptera Section: Correspondence...

This series contains the correspondence of members of staff of the Diptera Section, together with a small quantity of their scientific papers, and some papers relating to the management of the collection.

Austen's proofs and correspondence on oriental bloodsucking flies are held in the Entomology Library.

Access conditions: Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated

Ernest Edward Austen (1867-1938), educated at Rugby School and the University of Heidelberg, was appointed to take charge of the Diptera collection in 1889. He specialised in the blood-sucking tsetse flies, but also investigated the life history of the house fly. Frederick Wallace Edwards (1888-1940) joined the Museum staff in 1910 and made a particular study of the mosquitos. He was a prolific author, naming 2,000 new species of Diptera in 408 scientific papers. Miss Daphne Aubertin was appointed to the Section when Austen became Keeper in 1927, and she was replaced by John Smart in 1934. Smart was responsible for the wartime evacuation of the collections to Herefordshire. Harold Oldroyd joined the staff in 1936 and took charge of the Brachycera and Cyclorrhapha until his retirement in 1973. Peter Frederick Mattingly (1914-1993) was appointed in 1947, and specialised on mosquitos. Paul Freeman (b.1916), appointed the same year, took charge of the Nematocera and published on the Chironomidae and other groups. Freeman was Head of Section until he became Keeper in 1968, when his place was taken by Brian Henry Cogan, who had joined the Section in 1964. Ralph Leonard Coe is notable among the support staff. He was appointed as an Attendant in 1930, and remained in post until 1967, publishing 46 scientific papers on hover flies and other Diptera.

The Section was situated in the basement of the West Tower during the 1930s and moved into the new Entomology Building in 1952.