Chapman, Wilfrid Dinsey   (1891 - 1955)

Chapman was born in London in 1891 and died in Melbourne, Vic., on 6 May 1955.

He came to Australia as a child and was educated at Camberwell Grammar School and the University of Melbourne In the course of a long and distinguished career as an engineer he held appointments as Director of Civil Engineering, Railway Standardization Division, Department of Transport; Commissioner of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria and Engineer for Research and Development with the E.M.F. Electric Co. Ltd. He was a pioneer of electric welding. He served on the Council of the Institution of Engineers of Australia and was President in 1944. Chapman served in both World War I and II, and in the latter was mentioned in despatches and held senior military appointments in Australia with the rank of Colonel (T./Brigadier). He had interests outside engineering, especially in botany and was an associate of the Royal Society of Victoria. It was he who first drew to attention the tree which now bears his name. The type tree is located on State Electricity Commission controlled catchment near Bogong, Vic., and at the base of the tree is a substantial concrete block with a brass plate securely fastened to it, stating that the tree was named in honour of Brigadier Chapman.

Honoured in the name: Eucalyptus chapmaniana A. K. Cameron (1947)

Source: Extracted from: Hall, N. (1978) Botanists of the eucalypts. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Melbourne

Collecting localities for 'Chapman, W.D.' from AVH (2021)

Data from 328 specimens