Dear friends

We propose to organise a one-day memorial meeting in honour of our good friend and scientific collaborator John Whittaker who passed away 18 months ago. The meeting will be held at the Natural History Museum, London, where John served his entire career as a micropalaeontologist. A renowned authority on the systematics and ecology of living and fossil ostracods and foraminifera, he latterly became an innovative and valued contributor to the palaeoenvironmental analysis of Quaternary archaeological sites, particularly those with evidence of early human occupation such as Boxgrove in West Sussex and Happisburgh in Norfolk.

The proposed meeting is open to all and we would like it to feature oral presentations on relevant topics mixed with reminiscences of working with John, with the archaeological as well as the micropalaeontological communities well represented.  It will be held in the Neil Chalmers Lecture Theatre at The Natural History Museum on Wednesday, 23rd April 2025, with the option of continuing into the evening with food and drink at a suitable local venue.

If you would like to attend the meeting, with or without a presentation, or have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Dave Horne by email (d.j.horne@qmul.ac.uk).

Best wishes from

Dave Horne, John Athersuch, David Siveter, Alan Lord and Giles Miller