Robert Ernest Cheesman

Who was Robert Ernest Cheesman?

Major Robert Ernest Cheesman, CBE was a military officer, explorer and ornithologist.

Cheesman was Private Secretary to Sir Percy Cox during his tenure as High Commissioner in Iraq.

In 1923, during a journey into the Arabian Peninsula, Cheesman collected over 300 specimens from the Hasa oasis, several of them previously unknown to science. These specimens are currently in the British Museum.

He is credited with discovering Cheesman's Gerbil.

Cheesman was the first man to map the Arabian coast from the Gulf of Salwa to Uqair. In 1924 he fixed the position of Hofuf and identified the site of ancient Gerrha. He presented his findings to Ibn Sa'ud at his court in Hofuf. He was later given the Gill Memorial Award for this work by the Royal Geographical Society.