Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
during those six years demands on Nier's time and mass spec-
trometer had greatly increased and it became much harder for
him to do work for Holmes. But such is the pace of science -
dependent upon the whims of us mere mortals.
Only nine months after the death of Maggie Holmes, Arthur and
Doris were married on the 30th of June 1939 at Durham Registry
O~ce, and a small party gathered afterwards at their large new
house. Like Maggie, Doris too had the advantage of modestly
independent means from her family, and as a token of her love
and a¬ection she gave Arthur a Bechstein grand piano, which
stood proudly displayed in the lounge. He gave her some beau-
tiful jewellery. It was a small group who gathered to congratu-
late them, and conspicuously absent from the guest list are Bob
Lawson and his wife Winifred. Did they perhaps disapprove, or
had they known Maggie too well not to be invited? Given the
endurance record of Arthur's friendship with Bob, it is unlikely
that even disapproval would have kept Bob away, had he been
invited. It seems more probable that Doris prevailed upon
Arthur not to issue an invitation, and sadly there is no evidence
of the two men ever collaborating again after the wedding.
As with Arthur's first marriage, within a few weeks of the
ceremony a World War broke out, but within six months of that
Arthur and Doris were embroiled in a war of their own. The
formalisation of their relationship seems to have done nothing
to appease the university authorities, who had been outraged by
its previous illicit nature. On the contrary, they finally found the
opportunity they had been waiting for to display their disap-
proval. At the end of the 1940 academic year Doris' contract as
a lecturer was due for renewal. Normally, as long as her work
was satisfactory, this would be a simple formality, but after a
meeting held in the January the Committee on Re-Appointments
reported to the Academic Board in the following terms, regard-
