Peter Conder
| Peter Conder | |
|---|---|
| Born |
20 March 1919 Streatham, London, UK |
| Died | 8 October 1993 (aged 74) Cambridge, UK |
| Education | Cranleigh School, Surrey |
| Occupation | Ornithologist and Conservationist |
| Years active | 1945–1986 |
| Title | Director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds |
| Term | 1963–1976 |
| Awards | Order of the British Empire |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army
|
| Years of service | 1939 – 1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | Royal Corps of Signals |
| Battles/wars |
World War II POW, 1940 – 1945 |
Peter Conder, OBE (20 March 1919 – 8 October 1993) was a British ornithologist and conservationist known predominantly for his contribution as Director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Peter Conder was born in Streatham, London, the son of John Reynolds Conder, a shipbroker, and his wife Edna Francis, née Benson. He was educated at Cranleigh School, Surrey. His interest in ornithology arose at Cranleigh School where he was a member of the school ornithological society; he recalled sneaking from the school dormitory for early morning birdwatching expeditions. After secondary school, Conder went to Lausanne, Switzerland, to learn French and spent six weeks in Newfoundland on a British Schools Exploring Society expedition. In the spring of 1938, he started work at the pioneering advertising agency S H Benson (founded by Conder's grandfather).
As war approached, Conder joined the Territorial Army, and was commissioned into the 2nd London Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals. When the British Expeditionary Force was sent to France (with World War I weapons) in 1939, he was deployed with the Royal Ulster Rifles, the Coldstream and the Grenadier Guards near Lille. On 12 June 1940 he was captured by the Germans at Saint-Valery-en-Caux, France, with the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division. They were marched through France, Belgium, Holland and Germany to Laufen on the German-Austrian border. Conder later wrote, "When I was captured I lost thirty thousand words. Two years' work".
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