Plaque marks links of evolution pioneer (From Bournemouth Echo)

Plaque marks links of evolution pioneer

7:00pm Friday 28th August 2009 in

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NORTH Poole MP Annette Brooke has unveiled a plaque commemorating the work of revolutionary biologist and former Broadstone resident Alfred Russel Wallace.

Wallace, who is credited with co-discovering the theory of Evolution by Natural Selection, lived in Broadstone for 11 years until his death in 1913.

The plaque, unveiled at Broadstone Library, commemorates the 150th anniversary of his scientific works.

Mrs Brooke said: “Lots of people feel that Wallace came up with the idea first, and the scientific world later recognised his contribution.”

It was Darwin’s groundbreaking Origin of Species that turned the scientific community, the church and wider society on its head.

But Wallace’s paper, written after years of Malaysian Archipelago and Amazon jungle exploration, is recognised as a seminal work in evolutionary science.

In fact, Wallace and Darwin’s papers, published to the influential Linnean Society in 1858, predated Darwin’s solo Origin of Species by months.

However, it was not until 1908 that Wallace gained full recognition for his contribution to the theory, when he was presented with the Linnean Society’s gold medal. Mrs Brooke said: “We are really thrilled about this, as the plaque is a limited edition with only about 20 across the world.

“It is really nice to celebrate the achievements of a local resident. He was almost an unsung hero.

“He didn’t have the background Darwin had, so to do all that travel from a fairly ordinary background was just amazing,” she added.

The plaque was sponsored by Broadstone Residents Association and donated by the Alfred Russel Wallace Memorial Fund.

Wallace is buried in Broadstone Cemetery.