George Lawrence Hogben

Lawrence Hogben (14 April 1916 – 20 January 2015) was a New Zealand-born Royal Navy officer and meteorologist who provided vital weather forecasts for the Allied D-Day landings in Normandy in 1944. Hogben was also involved in the hunt for the Kriegsmarine battleship Bismarck in 1941 and served during the Battle of the Barents Sea in 1942, ultimately earning the Distinguished Service Cross and the American Bronze Star Medal for his wartime service. Hogben received the highest final grade for mathematics in New Zealand upon his graduation in 1938, and was subsequently awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University.

The Operation Neptune commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, initially planned to begin the Normandy landings on 5 June, due to the coincidence of a full moon and low tide. However, after extensive debate, Hogben and his colleagues convinced Eisenhower to launch the invasion on 6 June instead, to avoid storm conditions that could potentially have crippled the Allied fleet. After the success of the D-Day landings, Hogben received the Bronze Star Medal for his meteorological advice.

Postwar career After the war, Hogben worked in the film industry as a meteorologist for the Rank Organisation, and earned a PhD from Imperial College London. Thereafter, he spent 35 years working in various roles for Imperial Chemical Industries, with postings across Britain and Europe. Upon Hogben's retirement, he was refused British citizenship, as he had not resided in the UK long enough to be eligible. He thus settled in the town of Crest in the Drôme region of southern France, where he lived until his death in 2015.

Personal life Hogben married Elaine Carter, who he met while studying at Oxford; she predeceased him in 2010. Hogben and his wife were survived by their children, Sandra and Julius. Hogben was a fluent speaker of French, German, Spanish and Russian. During his retirement in Crest, he was an active Rotarian and helped establish a local goat's cheese festival. In 2004, Hogben was made an honorary citizen of Crest for his role in the Allied liberation of France. Hogben retained his New Zealand passport throughout his life.