by Jonathan Matfin
jonathan.matfin@ccnltd.com

EXPERTS at the Zoological Museum in Tring have uncovered a legacy of lies, theft and deceit left by one of Britain's most respected bird collectors.
Richard Meinertzhagen, a soldier, spy and ornithologist, left around 20,000 bird specimens to the museum before his death in 1967.
Since the 1970s the specimens have been part of a wider collection of around two million bird specimens held at the Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum in Akeman Street - the most heavily researched collection in the world.
However an investigation by the museum's Dr Robert Prys-Jones and colleague Dr Pamela Rasmussen has revealed as many as 5,000 of Meinertzhagen's specimens may be fraudulent.
According to the two bird experts, Meinertzhagen built a substantial part of his collection by stealing specimens from museums and relabelling them as his own.
Meinertzhagen's thefts from several countries included specimens from the Natural History Museum in London which he later donated to the Tring collection.
Dr Prys-Jones, bird collections manager at the Natural History Museum, said: "What we have discovered, pretty irrefutably, is that a substantial proportion of Meinertzhagen's important bird specimens are fraudulent - stolen and relabelled from other collections."
Dr Rasmussen, an assistant professor at Michigan State University, added: "With at least 70 South Asian species something he said or wrote was fraudulent and this caused misinformation. His specimens were included in literature and confused our knowledge of birds."
Dr Prys-Jones, pictured with two black-billed magpies, started investigating Meinertzhagen's Tring collection after concerns about the collector's work were raised in 1993.
He was joined by Dr Rasmussen in 1996 and together the experts used X-ray machines to inspect how different specimens had been preserved - as each collector is said to have a unique style.
One specimen, a black-billed magpie Meinertzhagen claimed to have shot while 'on a yak' near Tibet, had actually been stolen from another collector, Louis Mandelli.
Meinertzhagen also claimed to have found a species of kingfisher in Myanmar (Burma) when in fact it had been collected 1,500km away on the island of Hainan off the coast of China.
Another specimen, a forest owlet Meinertzhagen supposedly discovered in India in 1914, was actually discovered by another collector in the 1880s and had been stolen from the British Museum.
The inaccurate data attached to the owlet led several ornithologists to the wrong areas of India in search of the bird -
before Dr Rasmussen - aware that Meinertzhagen's records were
incorrect - re-discovered the species herself in India in 1997.

Despite uncovering thousands of fraudulent specimens in Meinertzhagen's collection however, Dr Prys-Jones insists the reputation of Tring's wider collection has not been affected.
He said: "When we started out we thought it was going to be an exercise in pure destruction. But it has actually led to the restoration of original data and the rediscovery of a species.
"There are a fair proportion of Meinertzhagen's specimens which are valid. The vast majority of our material is factually correct and if we can flag up this relatively small number of fraudulent samples then I think it makes the whole collection better."
Speaking about the wider impact of Meinertzhagen's fraudulent specimens, Dr Rob Robinson, senior research ecologist at the British Trust for Ornithology, said: "Obviously the specimens were collected a long time ago but they're still used for research today. We're still trying to clear up the mess and have to regard his records with some suspicion"
He added: "The collection in Tring is one of the world's biggest and this is just one individual, so I don't think it will affect the museum.'
As to Meinertzhagen's motives Dr Robert Prys-Jones said: "He was an extremely complex character who had his fingers in a lot of pies.
"One can specualte endlessly about why he did what he did. Certainly it wasn’t for monetary reasons. One presumes he wanted to establish a repuataion in ornithology beyond his ability to do so without committing fraud."

An officer, and a 'masterful man'

Richard Meinertzhagen, British but of German ancestry was born in 1878.
As a soldier and intelligence officer in the British Army he spent time in Africa and Asia.
During the First World War he is said to have passed fake British battle plans to Turkish forces, enabling a surprise attack on Gaza.
Meinertzhagen, who hated anti-semitism, is also rumoured to have once met Adolf Hitler, and to have taunted the Fuhrer with an 'Heil Meinertzhagen!'
He developed his love of nature through family friend and philosopher Herbert Spencer and became well known for his collections of bird specimens.
T.E. Lawrence, also known as Lawrence of Arabia, said of Meinertzhagen: "He was a strategist, a geographer, and a silent laughing masterful man; who took as blithe a pleasure in deceiving his enemy (or his friend) by some
unscrupulous jest, as in spattering the brains of a cornered mob of Germans one by one with his African knob-kerri."

Health resort evacuated after fire

MORE than 70 people had to be evacuated from the exclusive Champneys health resort in Wigginton following a fire in the early hours of Friday morning.
Firefighters, ambulance crews and police were called to the resort at around 3.20am following a fire in a laundry basket.
The fire was extinguished by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus but staff and guests, including former world heavyweight boxing champion Frank Bruno, were evacuated as a precaution.
Sub officer John Print, of Hemel Hempstead fire station, said the fire looked worse than it was as the blaze was directly underneath a plastic skylight and could be seen from the outside.
He revealed the cause of the fire was being investigated.
Nobody was seriously injured during the incident although a porter, who attempted to tackle the fire before the emergency services arrived, was taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Villagers row over station consultation

Residents feel left out of plans

by Stuart Amos
stuart.amos@ccnltd.com

ALDBURY residents claim they are being left out of plans geared to transform Tring Station into a gateway leading to the countryside.
Villagers in Aldbury, who are nearby neighbours to the station, say they have not been given a chance to have their say on the plans.
The £2million project, for which a financial viability study is underway, could see the Cow Lane site transformed into a transport hub for the Chilterns.
Early proposals for the station include a cafe/restaurant, viewing gallery and cycle hiring and storage facilities.
Regular train traveller David Cobb, of Aldbury, has called into question the need for far reaching plans and believes the perceived increase in tourism will not benefit Tring directly.
"!I don't think that's a good enough proposition to justify raping the Tring countryside of its inherent charm," he said.
"There is a desperate need for new bike sheds. They are just rotting at the moment. A viewing gallery or restaurant is not what is needed.
"I can't see the facts backing up these plans. People don't come to Tring because of its station. The local residents are getting a bit upset because they feel they have not been consulted so far."
Darren Anderson of Railway Cottages at Tring Station said: "It is essential the local residents should be consulted from the outset. If not there is a very real risk that an inappropriate scheme will gather such momentum that by the time the residents of Tring Station and Aldbury have been consulted their comments would not be considered."
Tring Town Councillor Peter Coneron, who is head of the Tring Tourism and Transport Group leading the initiative, has re-assured commuters there will be a full public consultation on proposals.
He has warned there is unlikely to be any short term solution to issues at the station, such as lack of toilet facilities, parking and decaying bike sheds, while the current project is under consideration.
He said: "The whole scheme is about improving accessibility to the station in terms of public transport links and catering better for the different types of people using it."
"Some of the factors influencing the development of the scheme need to be fine-tuned and put into the pot before we can move to develop a scheme for consideration by all interested parties.
"This is not simply a quick fix. It will be many, many years before a similar project is undertaken again so it is best to look at it with everybody's interests considered and come up with a scheme meeting everybody’s requirements where possible."
The feasibility and financial viability study is set to be complete in mid-November when project leaders will learn if the dream can become a reality.
Ian Cornish of Station Road said: "Although it would be helpful to have increased storage for bicycles, access for the disabled and perhaps a drinks and food vending machine - the idea of a cafe/restaurant is daft. Most recreational visitors who catch the train to Tring do so with boots and a backpack, ready to walk in our super countryside - they do not come to sit in a cafe alongside the railway line."

Stalls get a festive feel

CHRISTMAS gifts, festive cards and puddings will be among the items for sale on a range of charity stalls at Dolphin Square, Tring this week.
On Friday, charities will be selling goods from 9am to the early afternoon to raise much needed cash.
Last year 15 charities raised a total of £2,000.
Those taking part include Guide Dogs for the Blind, Tring Pensioners' Association and the Iain Rennie Hospice At Home.
The annual event is organised by Dacorum Council for Voluntary Service.
There is still space for one more voluntary group to hold a stall on Friday, November 11. For more information contact the DCVS on 01442 823396.

Parish plan gets started

Shopkeeper blames rise in parking charge for slow-down in trade

Trader's parking dilemma

by Stuart Amos
stuart.amos@ccnltd.com

A TRING trader has criticised parking policies in the town which has seen his business suffer a slump in takings, threatening its future.
Furious Gurunathan Prapaharan, owner of the Old Stables convenience store in Miswell Lane, believes motorists - avoiding charges and restrictions - are parking in spaces reserved for his shop preventing the passing trade he relies on.
And with annual rents of more than £8,000 he has no idea how much longer the business will survive after three years of slipping profits.
"People are parking outside these shops, sometimes all day, because they want to avoid paying to park in the town when they go shopping," said Gurunathan.
"The rates we pay are almost double than those elsewhere and we pay extra for the parking spaces but my customers cannot use them which is affecting the number of people coming through the door.
"If the current trend continues I'm not sure how much longer I can afford to keep the shop running."
The cause of the problem, which was highlighted in The Gazette earlier this year, has been largely put down to parking charges introduced for the first time in October 2003.
Visitors to the town get their first hour free but have to pay to stay any longer and shop owners in the High Street believe this has significantly affected trade.
A number of High Street stores have closed in the last six months with a reduction in footfall being blamed as the major culprit.
And now the problem is spilling over into surrounding streets as drivers seek to avoid parking restrictions passing on the problem to off-High Street businesses paying premium rates for customer parking.
It is hoped the proposed Gateway project at Tring Station will attract more visitors to the town thanks to improved public transport links.
But according to Mr Prapaharan other outlets in the Old Stables parade are beginning to feel the pinch and wants a rethink on parking sooner rather than later.
"I have been writing to the council every year for the past three years to see what can be done to help us," he said. The parking space adds to the cost of our rates yet we are not seeing the benefit. We have seen a steady decline but our rates are still so high."
Head of street care for Dacorum Borough Council Brian Scott said: "It was not an issue we were aware of but now it has been raised we are going to look at what can be done to assist traders in Tring who are experiencing these problems."

Church hall's licence to thrill

TRING'S Roman Catholic Church is asking to licence its church and hall for live music and other entertainments.
Tring Council has no objections to the proposal.
The request is to open the premises for various groups and parish activities between 9am and 11 pm on Monday to Thursday, 9am to 11.30pm on Friday and Saturday and 9am to 10.30pm on
Sundays. The regulated entertainment will include plays, occasional and nativity, films, parish activities, live music, occasional local orchestra rehearsals and parish activities, recorded music indoors for children's groups, outside for the summer fete and performance of dance, Irish/Scottish dancing group rehearsals and occasional performance and anything similar.

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