Andrew Baird

Andrew Wilson Baird, CSI, FRS (26 April 1842 – 2 April 1908) was a Scottish colonel of the Royal Engineers. He is best remembered for his work in tidal studies of the coast of India.

Life Born and baptised 26 April 1842 in Aberdeen, he was the eldest son of Thomas Baird of Woodlands, Cults, and Catherine Imray. He was educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen, before entering the Military College of the East India Company at Addiscombe in June 1860. Joining the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich in January 1861, he was made a lieutenant in the Royal Engineers the following year, and sailed for India on 1 March 1864. He briefly returned to England in 1870 due to ill health but returned to continue his work. In 1881, he was selected as a delegate to the International Congress of Geography in Venice, where he was awarded a gold medal for his exhibits on tidal apparatus.

His work led to a significant collaboration with George Darwin on the harmonic analysis of tidal data, resulting in a joint report in 1885. Baird subsequently authored the Manual for Tidal Observations (1886), which became a standard text in the field. He notably recorded the tidal disturbances caused by the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. During this period, he worked closely with Edward Roberts of the Nautical Almanac Office to ensure the Indian data was successfully applied to the first mechanical tide-predicting machines. He was promoted to captain on 4 April 1874 and a major on 18 December 1881. and appointed CSI in the 1897 Diamond Jubilee Honours.

Family In 1872, Baird married Margaret Elizabeth Davidson, daughter of Charles Davidson of Forrester Hill, Aberdeen. They had two sons and five daughters. His son Sir Douglas Baird went on to become a General in the Indian Army.

He died of heart failure on 2 April 1908 and was buried on the eastern side of Highgate Cemetery. His grave (no.37143) has no headstone or marker.

Works