Natural History Museum receives Malay States exhibition journal

The extensively illustrated journal was prepared around the year 1900 by Dr Frank Laidlaw when he was appointed as zoologist at the age of 23 on the W.W. Skeat Cambridge Scientific Exhibition to the Malay States.

Frank was the father of Dr Eric Laidlaw, former medical superintendent at the Royal National Hospital in Steephill on the Undercliff.

The expedition members and guides – weary and bearded after eight months of jungle life (Image: Contributions)

For eight months, Frank and the team travelled by river and on foot through remote unexplored jungle, gathering scientific data and specimens of birds, insects, snails and plant species.

Laidlaw said: “Our party constantly endured large land leeches, mosquitos, giant centipedes, snakes and scorpions; we were very weary after eight months but thrilled with the natural environment and our finds.

“The jungle people who acted as our guides were charming and greatly assisted our research.”

Villages were welcoming and help with rations and gathering specimens (Image: Contributions)

The journal was the last remaining item of the Laidlaw archive, held by Professor Robin McInnes from St Lawrence, stepson of Eric Laidlaw.

The album was presented by Robin and his grandson Michael Preston to Andrea Hart, head of special collections and archives at the Natural History Museum, who was delighted to receive it.

Michael Preston, Andrea Hart and Robin McInnes at the Natural History Museum in London (Image: Contributions)