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Cyril Diver

1892 – 1969

First Director-General of the Nature Conservancy

Conchologist
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About Cyril Diver

Lived 1892 – 1969 (aged 76–77). Cyril Diver was a conchologist.

Captain Cyril Diver, C.B., C.B.E., (1892 – 17 February 1969), was a civil servant and amateur naturalist. He became the first Director-General of the Nature Conservancy.

Life Diver was born in 1892, the son of Lt Colonel C Diver and the author, Maud Diver. Educated at Dover College and Trinity College, Oxford, after serving in France during World War I, he became a clerk in the House of Commons.

In the 1930s he performed a systematic survey of the varied ecosystems of Studland, Dorset. A keen naturalist he was especially interested in molluscan ecology and genetics.

During the war he was a clerk to the select committee on national expenditure. In May 1940 the House of Commons appointed its "Miss K Midwinter" as the first woman to be a clerk. She was initially placed as an assistant to "Captain Diver", but she went on to have her own committee in the following year.

Between 2012 and 2015, the National Trust ran a citizen science project named after Cyril – the Cyril Diver Project that was designed to carry out a comprehensive ecological survey of the Studland peninsula in a similar manner to Diver's original study.

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Important facts

Born
1892, Devon
Birth century
Occupation
Conchologist
Education
Trinity College
Also known as
Captain Cyril Diver

People in Cyril Diver's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Cyril Diver's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Cyril Diver?

first Director-General of the Nature Conservancy

When was Cyril Diver born?

Cyril Diver was born in 1892 in Devon.

When did Cyril Diver die?

Cyril Diver died on 17 February 1969.

What was Cyril Diver's occupation?

Cyril Diver was a conchologist.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Cyril Diver

· Wikidata: Q24068919

· DBpedia: Cyril Diver

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Cyril Diver. https://biography.guide/cyril-diver/

MLA: "Cyril Diver." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/cyril-diver/.

Chicago: "Cyril Diver." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/cyril-diver/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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