John Pendlebury
| John Pendlebury | |
|---|---|
JDS Pendlebury in 1928 at age 24, one year after arriving at the British School of Archaeology at Athens, fresh from college
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| Born |
12 October 1904 London |
| Died |
22 May 1941 (aged 36) Heraklion |
| Resting place | Souda Bay |
| Nationality |
 United Kingdom
|
| Fields | Archaeology |
| Institutions | British School of Archaeology at Athens, Knossos |
| Alma mater | Winchester College, Cambridge University |
| Known for | Environmental studies at Knossos while Curator there |
| Influences | Arthur Evans |
| Influenced | All archaeologists and historians of ancient Crete |
| Spouse | Hilda (White) Pendlebury |
John Devitt Stringfellow Pendlebury (12 October 1904 – 22 May 1941) was a British archaeologist who worked for British intelligence during World War II. He was captured and executed by German troops during the Battle of Crete.
John Pendlebury was born in London, the eldest son of Herbert S. Pendlebury, a London surgeon, and Lilian D. Devitt, a daughter of Thomas Devitt, part owner of Devitt and Moore, a shipping company. At the age of about two, he lost an eye in an accident of unknown nature while in the care of a friend of his parents, who were away for a few days. On their return conflicting reports of the accident were given. The eye could not be successfully treated. He used a prosthetic glass eye, which, it has been said by people who knew him, was generally mistaken for a real one. Throughout his life he remained determined to out-perform persons with two eyes. As a child he was taken to see Wallis Budge at the British Museum. During the conversation he apparently resolved to become an Egyptian archaeologist. Budge told him to study Classics before making up his mind. His mother died when he was 17, leaving him a legacy from his grandfather that made him financially independent. His father remarried, but had no further children. Pendlebury got along well with his stepmother and her son, Robin. He remained the centre of his father's affections, whom he called "daddy" in letters.
He was educated at Winchester (1918-1923), before winning scholarships at Pembroke College, Cambridge where he was awarded a Second in Part I and a First in Part II of the Classical Tripos, "with distinction in archaeology." Despite his disability, he also shone as a sportsman, with an athletics blue and competing internationally as a high jumper.
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