Theodore Thomson Flynn

Theodore Thomson Flynn MBE FLS FZS FRS MRIA
Born	(1883-10-11)11 October 1883 Coraki, New South Wales, Australia
Died	23 October 1968(1968-10-23) (aged 85) Liss, Hampshire, England
Spouse	Lily Mary (Marelle) Young ​ ​ (m. 1909)​
Children	2, including Errol Flynn
Scientific career
Fields	Marine biology Zoology

Theodore Thomson Flynn MBE FLS FZS FRS MRIA (11 October 1883 – 23 October 1968) was an Australian-British zoologist and marine biologist and a professor in both Tasmania and the United Kingdom. He was the first biology professor in Tasmania. Flynn was the father of the actor Errol Flynn.

Biography

Theodore Thomson Flynn was born in Coraki, New South Wales, Australia, the son of Jessie B. (née Thomson) and John Thomas Flynn a cordial manufacturer. He was the oldest of eight children. His parents later divorced His paternal grandparents were from Ireland. His grandfather John Flynn was from Mohill, County Leitrim, Connacht, and his grandmother Anne Connaughty was from Trim, County Meath, Leinster.^[1]

Flynn attended Fort Street High School where he was a pupil teacher. He later earned a scholarship to the Sydney Teachers' College at the University of Sydney and graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Biology in 1907. While at the University, he was a distinguished scholar, winning the John Coutts Scholarships, the Macleay Fellowship offered by the Linnean Society of NSW and the Medal for Biology in 1906. He later gained Doctor of Philosophy (D.Sc.) in 1921 for his work on marsupial embryology. Flynn began working as a chemistry and physics teacher at Newcastle High School and Maitland High School. He became a biology lecturer at the University of Tasmania in 1909, becoming the first biology professor in Tasmania. He later became a professor in 1911 and teaching there until 1930.^[2]

He married Lily Mary (Marelle) Young on 23 January 1909; they had two children together, a daughter Nora Rosemary Flynn, and a son, the film actor Errol Flynn.^[3] Flynn and his family then moved to Northern Ireland where he served as the Chair of Zoology at Queen's University of Belfast from 1931 to 1948; he also became director of the marine station at Portaferry.^[3]

After the Belfast Blitz, Flynn was the chief casualty officer for the city.^[4] On 1 January 1945, Flynn was awarded an Order of the British Empire for his service.^[5]

Flynn named one new species of sub-tropical kelpfish he discovered – Gibbonsia erroli – after his son.^[6]

Flynn died at Hillbrow Nursing Home in Liss, Hampshire, England, on 23 October, 1968.^[7]

Legacy

Flynn Lake, Macquarie Island was named after Flynn.^[1]

References

1. "Theodore Thomson Flynn and Errol Flynn: the Professor and the Tasmanian Devil exhibition". University of Tasmania Library. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
2. "Flynn, Theodore Thomson". Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation. Swinburne University of Technology - Centre for Transformative Innovation. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
3. Bryden, William, "Flynn, Theodore Thomson (1883–1968)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 14 July 2022
4. Professor T.T. Flynn with his wife Archived 2006-05-29 at the Wayback Machine, multitext.ucc.ie; accessed 26 January 2017.
5. "Belfast Gazette (number 1,223)" (PDF).
6. "Famous fictional pirate based on Irish double agent who stole Crown Jewels". News Letter. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
7. "Flynn, Theodore Thomson". Encyclopedia of Australian Science. The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre. Retrieved 26 January 2018.

External links

• Australian Dictionary of National Biography entry

Further reading

• Harrison, Tony (2008). "Climbing to the top: TT Flynn in Tasmania, 1909-1931". Papers and Proceedings: Tasmanian Historical Research Association. 55 (3): 160–174.