MEMORY FEAT

Hokitika Guardian, 20 October 1933, Page 8

MEMORY FEAT

REMARKABLE CAPACITY. DUNEDIN, October 17. Dr A. C. A’itken, who was mentioned'- In .a cable message from ‘London to-day for a remarkable feat in l>ei:ng iable tb supply from memory <|he names and . and even the addresses of the next-of-kin ox all the men in his battalion, is a Dunedin boy. He was dux of the Albany Street School at the age of dl years, .and lie is one of .the mosCj distinguished of all the old boys ex i the Otago Boys’ '■ High School, of which lie was dux in 1912, and ot j the students of the University ol j Otago. I One of his achievements was to qualify for three senior scholarships of the - University of New Zealand — k> Latin, pure 'mathematics, and applied mathematics. Holding the scholarship in Latin, he took his •M.A. degree with ffrst-class honours in Latin and French, and secondclass honours in mathematics. A POST-GRADUATE SCHOLAR.

Being awarded a post-graduate scholarship in arts, lie studied at the (University of Edinburgh, where after two years ihe won his Doctorate of Science for some specially brilliant research work in mathematics. Although only 38 year of age, he has already published mare than 30 .papers embodying original research in mathematics, collaborating in some of the work with Professor E. T. Whittaker, of the University of Edinburgh, and Professor H. ! W. .Turnbull,-, of the University ot St. Andrew’s. For some years he has been on the mathematical staff of the Universty of Edinburgh. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society -of Edinburgh, which recently awarded him the Mu edo ugall- Br i siba He Prize presented every two years for the most noteworthy work in original research in any branch of science.

Dr Aitken is an eager student of literature and- -languages. He ! is not orly a brilliant, executant on the violin, but also be has composed music for t.hp.t instrument. On Gallipoli he carried his violin with him throughout the campaign. FEATS OF MEMORY. Many stories 'of Dr Aitken’s feats (of memory. are told by men who served with him at the war. Not only did he know’ the names and numbers of all the men under his command ; but it is also related that lie know- .the num. hers of their rifles. He was able to tell, when..carrying- <out ,an inspection, whether a man was. carrying bis own r.ifle or that of another member of his company. ,At the end of a fang march he was able,.to recall the names of .all of the men w r ho had droped (out and the stage at which they had left the ranks. • «

Wlien, for some years after the war, •he was on (the .staff of the Otago Boys’ High School, ti was- possible for him to know five minutes after an entirely new class had entered his room at the beginning of a year the name of. every member. .He would -ask the boys to call out their names, and immediately afterwards -he could address any boy by his name.