Another first rate amateur field naturalist who did significant field work on the Essex
dragonflies during the 1940s was the late Bernard T. Ward. R. M. Payne regards him as 'the best all-
round naturalist Essex has produced this century' (pers. comm.). In an interview published in 1971
(Ward. 1971) Bernard Ward described the breadth of his interests: 'Whilst botany has been my
main interest. I have delved into many disciplines in the natural history field, particularly
ornithology, bryophytes. Odonata, some groups of diptera, mycetozoa, lepidoptera and
phytophagous hymenoptera. In brief, my interests have included anything concerned with natural
history and local history, too.' Ward knew the Essex countryside intimately, despite (or perhaps
because of?) never having owned a car. and Pinniger (who knew him for some fifty or sixty years)
recalls many excursions together, in later years accompanied by their wives.
Like Pinniger. Ward (who also lived at Chingford) was encouraged in his early natural history
interests by his parents (and by a local gardener). His interest was also stimulated when he met.
while walking in Epping Forest, a member of a local natural history society, but it was not for
another eleven years that he was able to afford the membership fee for the E.F.C. In fact, he seems
to have joined the L.N.H.S. first (he is referred to in the London Naturalist for 1928), and was editor
of the London Naturalist from 1933 to 1937 (the period during which Pinniger's dragonfly reports
appeared), and later chaired the Chingford Branch. Ward joined the Essex Field Club in the early
1930s and subsequently became Joint Hon. Secretary. Honorary Member, President (1964-6), and
Curator of the Epping Forest Museum (1948-61). He published a series of botanical notes between
1957 and 1959 in the Essex Naturalist.
In later life. Ward recalled his indignation at seeing long rows of set specimens when he first
joined an (un-named) natural history society. He was always a conservationist, and took a leading
part in the formation of the Essex Naturalists' Trust in 1959 (he was Chairman of the Trust for 1960-1).
He was a verderer of Epping Forest for many years and E. B. Pinniger comments: 'his work for and
in Epping Forest will I hope long be remembered by those who enjoy walking in the Forest' (pers.
comm.).
There are a few of Bernard Ward's dragonfly specimens, dating from 1940, 1949 and 1950 at the
Epping Forest Museum (Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge). They are mainly common species,
and come from Hatfield Forest. Grays and Fyfield, as well as from Epping Forest sites. The Essex
Naturalist vol. 28 (covering the period 1945 to 1950) contains a number of references to field
excursions (to Margaretting, the Stour Valley. Stamford Rivers and Toot Hill) with dragonfly lists
provided by Bernard Ward. Some of these records were subsequently incorporated in an article
under the joint authorship of Pinniger. Syms and Ward in the same volume, and titled 'Dragonflies
in 1949'. Though by no means a comprehensive county survey, the article was probably the nearest
approximation to one thus far achieved. A total of twenty-two species were recorded from various
sites throughout the county by the three authors. If we discount the rare migrant Sympetrum spp.,
and the single occurrence of C. boltonii, the list is almost identical to that given by Longfield for the
L.N.H.S. corner of Essex. The presence of Coenagrion scitulum in south-east Essex (reported by
several observers) is a significant difference between the lists, as is the fact that none of the authors
appear to have seen C. virgo in 1949, despite visits to sites where it might at that time have been
expected to turn up. This seems to confirm (as has subsequent experience) Longfield's judgment
that this species was in decline in Essex.
The localities listed by Pinniger. Syms and Ward make an impressive list for one season.
Connaught Water. Chingford Plain. Monk Wood. Cuckoo Pits. Strawberry Hill Pond, Baldwins
Hill Pond and Fairmead Pond in Epping Forest. Hainault Forest. Hatfield Forest, the Stort near
Little Parndon, Curtis Mill Green. Ongar. Fyfield, Stanford Rivers and Shelley in the Roding
Valley. Warley and Childerditch Commons, near Brentwood. Chingford. Coopersale Common.
Wanstead Park. Margaretting and Benfleet are all named. Though significantly biased towards the
west of the county, this is a far wider geographical spread than is represented in any earlier
list.
108