Martin Hotine

Brigadier Martin Hotine CMG CBE (17 June 1898 – 12 November 1968)[3] was the head of the Trigonometrical and Levelling Division of the Ordnance Survey responsible for the 26-year-long retriangulation of Great Britain[4] (1936–1962) and was the first Director General of the Directorate of Overseas Surveys (1946–1985).[5]

Brigadier Martin Hotine CMG CBE
Born(1898-06-17)17 June 1898[1]
Wandsworth, London[2]
Died12 November 1968(1968-11-12) (aged 70)[1]
Surrey, England
Resting placeMunicipal Cemetery, Weybridge, Surrey, England
51.366442°N 0.465578°W / 51.366442; -0.465578
NationalityBritish
EducationSouthend Technical School (now SHSB)[2]
Magdalene College, Cambridge[2]
Known forFounder and first Director General of the Directorate of Overseas Surveys
Spouse(s)Kate Amelia Hotine (1895–1987)

He served on the North-West Frontier during the First World War and later in the Persian and Mesopotamian campaigns. He has been described as "decisive, ingenious and tough".[4]

Retriangulation of Great Britain

Hotine was responsible for the design of the triangulation pillars constructed during the Geodetic resurvey of Britain.[4] 6,173 of these were built.[4] They provided a solid base for the theodolites used by the survey teams during the survey, thereby improving the accuracy of the readings obtained.[4] They are sometimes referred to as "Hotine Pillars".

Personal life

Hotine was married to Kate Amelia Hotine (née Pearson)(1895–1987) whose nickname to family and friends was 'Ajax'.[3]

Honours

Publications
  • Hotine, Martin (1931), Surveying from air photographs, Professional Papers of the Air Survey Committee – No. 3, London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, p. 71
  • Hotine, Martin (1931), The Fourcade Stereogoniometer, Professional Papers of the Air Survey Committee – No. 7, London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, OCLC 184739773
  • Hotine, Martin, Mathematical geodesy

References
  1. Edge, R C A (March 1969). "Martin Hotine". Bulletin Géodésique. Springer Berlin / Heidelberg. 91 (1): 8–12. doi:10.1007/bf02524840. ISSN 0007-4632. S2CID 186233628.
  2. Humphries, G J (March 1969). "Martin Hotine obituary". The Geographical Journal. Royal Geographical Society. 135 (1): 156–157. JSTOR 1795667.
  3. "Martin Hotine grave monument details". Gravestone photographic resource. Gravestone Photographic Resource. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  4. Crane, Nicholas (30 October 2004). "Britain: Master of all he surveys". The Daily Telegraph. London, England: Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  5. Macdonald, Alastair (1996). Mapping The World (1st ed.). Norwich, England: HMSO. pp. ii. ISBN 0-11-701590-3.
  6. List of Past Royal Geographical Society Gold Medal Winners
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