Ridley's Feature - 'They Called Him Mad'

09/12/1955
Record Date
09/12/1955
Broadcast/Release Date
00:53:35
Recorded Duration
English
Recording Language
1998003919
Accession No.
Sound
Type
10 inch Open Reel Audiotape
Format
Access permitted
Conditions Governing Access
Use and reproduction require written permission from depositing agency/donor. Processing of reproduction request may require 7 working days.
Conditions Governing Reproduction
Synopsis :

This dramatised feature was presented on radio in honour of English botanist Henry Nicholas Ridley, who turned 100 on 10 December 1955. Ridley, who became the first scientific director of the Botanic Gardens in 1888, found the best way of tapping rubber and with it, its vast economic potential. His zealousness in coaxing Malayan planters to grow rubber trees earned him nicknames like "Mad Ridley".

This programme includes a special recording of old Ridley in London, an interview with his longtime plant collector, Ahmad bin Hassan, as well as glowing tributes from well-known personalities.