Speech by Ambassador Pekka Huhtaniemi at the Memorial Event for Bill Mead

31st October 2014
Memorial Event at the Royal Geographical Society
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I am very pleased and honoured to have this opportunity to offer a Finnish perspective on William ”Bill” Mead’s remarkable career as an international scholar of geograph, and historic geography in particular, and as a devoted friend of Finland, among other Nordic countries.

Bill Mead’s professional, academic links with Finland went back to 1930s when he, as a young scholar, got interested in Finland and had his first chance to visit our country in 1938. He already then established contact with the Finnish Embassy in London and with the Anglo-Finnish Society. He also assisted in the collection of money for the Finland Fund set up to help Finland at the time of the Winter War (1939–40).

Later during World War II, Finnish-British relations were broken, but thanks to a number of dedicated individuals – businessmen, politicians, diplomats, academics and others – they were later quickly restored. Bill Mead played a prominent part in this remarkable post-war process of reconstruction.

Bill Mead’s contacts with Finnish academic colleagues were frequent and vibrant throughout his very long professional career. He visited Finland regularly, kept close contact with his Finnish counterparts, attended and lectured at countless academic events in Finland and published a large number of books and papers about Finland, its history, economy and geography.

Apart from stimulating his Finnish academic friends, Bill Mead worked tirelessly to disseminate information about Finland, particularly in the UK, but also in the US. Throughout the 1950s and 60s, he gave dozens of lectures every year about Finland in various fora here in the UK, and very often also outside London

He was also instrumental in reconstituting, in the aftermath of World War II, the Anglo-Finnish Society, established already in 1911 but in limbo during the war. He carried for long periods the functions of Honorary Secretary and, later, Chairman of this society, whose 100th anniversary we judiciously celebrated a few years ago. On that occasion, Bill Mead published the Anglo-Finnish Society’s history covering these first 100 years. That publication contains very few references to his own role, but it is clear that for some 40 years he was the key figure in the running of the Society.

Finland has officially recognized Bill Mead’s exceptional merits in the promotion of Finnish-British relations by granting him, on three occasions, high Finnish awards: first, already in the 1950s, Knight, 1st Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland, then in the 1960s, Commander of the same order, and finally in the 1970s, Commander of the Order the White Rose of Finland

I had personally known something about Bill Mead already before coming to London as Ambassador in 2010. Through my Norwegian friends, I had learned about the contributions he had made over many decades also to Anglo-Norse relations. And in Finland, I was privileged to know, since we came from the same Finnish rural region, professor Eino Jutikkala, one of Bill Mead’s closest Finnish friends and colleagues. Professor Jutikkala, who also reached the high age of 99 years, sometimes talked about Bill and their numerous joint endeavours.

Here in London, I was happy to be able to establish quite soon a personal contact with Bill Mead. He visited our residence here in Kensington a few times, and I, together with my wife Liisa and the Chairperson of the Anglo-Finnish Society Mrs Marjatta Bell, were pleased to visit him a few times at his Buckinghamshire home.

On the last occasions, just before Christmas in 2012 and 2013, Bill took us for most enjoyable luncheons at his favourite restaurants near his native Aylesbury. He was, of course, very old and frail, but his brain, memory and eye-sight worked perfectly. He was full of nice, witty stories covering events over past 60–70 years and shedding light on his countless activities with Finns and for Finland.

Bill Mead’s departure leaves a big hole in the tapestry of Finnish-British relations. But thanks to his writings and the profound legacy of his many friendships, his great impact will be felt for a long time to come.