| 1913 |
Geikie retired from London and moved to Haslemere, Surrey. He had a house, “Shepherd’s Down”, built on some land previously acquired, south of Haslemere. His wife and daughters designed their house. The Order of Merit was awarded to him. The death of Sir Jonathan Hutchinson (23rd June) was reported locally – founder of Haslemere Museum. Geikie again presented the Copley medal to an old friend Sir Edwin Ray Lankester - an eminent zoologist. He revisited Rome and Naples in the spring and his second daughter; Elsie was also travelling through Italy with school friends. |
| 1914 |
Geikie returned to Italy in the spring to study the locations of the various Latin poets, starting with visits to the Sabine Hills. He met with numerous academic friends and attended a meeting of the “Accademia dei Lincei”. The outbreak of the Great War in August prevented further Italian expeditions. A public meeting on the future of Haslemere Museum took place and Geikie was appointed Chairman of the Museum Committee in February and continued in this post until his death in 1924. He also was elected President of Haslemere Natural History Society. |
| 1915 |
His daughter Elsie had been ill for several months in failing health, but she suddenly passed away on the 23rd February this year. The whole family was deeply distressed and Geikie's wife, Alice was still further broken down in sprit by the loss of Elsie. Geikie's brother James also died in Edinburgh on 1st March after a short illness. James had held the Chair of Geology at Edinburgh University with great success for 32 years, only retiring only in the previous year. |
| 1916 |
Geikie’s wife Alice died on the 21st January after a period of invalidity and her ashes were buried in the Freshfields area of Brookwood Cemetery, Brookwood, Woking, along side her son Roderick. Early in 1916 Geikie's youngest daughter, Gabrielle married Harold J. Behrens, an officer of the Territorial Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment. When he went to the front, she returned to their Haslemere home. Geikie was asked to write a “History of the Royal Society Club”. The Presidential address to the Haslemere Natural History Society was entitled “The Birds of Shakespeare”. This work was subsequently published later that year. |
| 1917 |
“The Annals of the Royal Society Club: the record of a London dinning-club in the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries” was published in summer as an octave volume of 500 pages and 30 portraits of men described in the work. Towards the end of this year Geikie's friends in France conferred on him their highest distinction - the “Associe Etrander de I' Institute de France”. He received many telegrams and letters of congratulations from numerous French friends. Gabrielle had a son, Derick born in February that year. Derick was to spend much time with Sir Archibald Geikie in Haslmere. |
| 1918 |
The Memoir of John Michell by Geikie, was published by Cambridge University Press in June this year. |
| 1919 |
On the 1st of December Archibald Geikie received a letter from Mr Ian Macpherson, Head of the Irish Office, informing him that the Government proposes to appoint a Royal Commission of Enquiry into Dublin University. He would ask Geikie to act as Chairman of the commission. Geikie agreed to act as its Chairman. The Council of the University of Strasbourg bestowed the degree of Honorary Doctor of the University to him. Geikie was unable to attend but the diploma was sent to him. |
| 1920 |
Geikie published a memorial tribute to Sir Norman Lockyer – the joint founder of the international science journal “Nature.”. The above Commission met in April in Trinity College, Dublin. A further 12 meetings were made at the Irish Office, London. They signed their Report on 12th November that year. |
| 1923 |
Geikie's address entitled The Weald previously published in 1908 was reprinted in the Haslemere Natural History Society's Science Paper, No. 8. |
| 1924 |
Sir Archibald died on the 10th November aged 88. He was buried at St. Bartholomew’s Churchyard in Haslemere. “A long life’s work: an autobiography” by Sir Archibald Geikie was published that year. |
