Henry Smith Holden

Prof Henry Smith Holden CBE FRSE FLS (1887-1963) was a British botanist. Specialising in forensics, he became Director of Laboratories in New Scotland Yard in 1946.

The University of Nottingham holds an annual lecture named the H S Holden Botanical Lecture in his honour.

He was born on 30 November 1887 at Castleton near Rochdale the son of Henry Charlton Holden, a clerk to a woollen merchant, and his wife, Betsy Cockcroft. He was educated at Manchester Grammar School then won a scholarship to Manchester University to study Sciences where he graduated BSc in Botany. His father died during his university course and Henry took over the role of maintain his mother and the cost of educating his younger brother, Ernest Holden, as soon as he was able.

In 1910 he began lecturing in Botany at University College, Nottingham.

His career was interrupted by the First World War during which he served (1916-19) as a bacteriologist to the Royal Naval Hospital in Portsmouth. Returning to Nottingham after the war, he began to specialise. In 1921 he received an honorary doctorate (DSc) from Manchester University. In 1927 he set up a Department of Industrial Bacteriology. In this same year he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Sir William Wright Smith, Robert Graham, Malcolm Wilson, James Montagu Frank Drummond and James Robert Matthews..

In 1928 he was created Head of the Biology Department and in 1932 was given a full professorship as Professor of Botany, also taking over the Botany department in 1934. After some earlier police consultation on issues relating to water [pollution and food contamination he was asked by the Home Office to set up Britain’s first Forensic Laboratory in Nottingham in 1936, serving all of England and Wales. This was known as the East Midland Forensic Science Laboratory.

In 1958 he was created a Commander of the Order of the British empire (CBE).

He retired with his wife to Kenley in Surrey.

He died on 16 May 1963 at Dene Hospital in Caterham following a brief illness.

In 1917 he married Annie Janet Hamer, daughter of Richard Hamer, civil engineer. They had one son and one daughter.