The mathematics Bachelor’s degree course at Cambridge, named the Mathematical Tripos, is known to be one of the most intellectually demanding of degrees. The word Tripos derives from the fact that historically the candidate sat on a three-legged stool to take the exam orally. One leg of the three-legged stool is taken to represent each year of a three-year degree.
If one attains a First in this degree, which is extremely difficult, one is known as a “Wrangler” and if one is ranked first among the Firsts one is known as a “Senior Wrangler”. The competition and ranking started in mid-18th century and was printed annually until 1909. During this time, the Senior Wrangler’s name was published, as was that of the runner up (proxime accessit). This stopped with the First World War and after this the results were read out from the balcony of the Senate House; and a tip of the hat was given to announce the Senior Wrangler. Results were then thrown on printed papers from the balcony. A consequence of this more recent rather lax result distribution is that the names of some of the Senior Wranglers have disappeared from a formal archived list. You can see this by looking at the Wikipedia list of “Senior Wranglers” as many dates are not associated with names after 1909.
Among this august company of Senior Wranglers are many eminent mathematicians and physicists, like Sir Arthur Eddington who experimentally proved using measurements taken during a lunar eclipse, the veracity of Einstein’s General theory of relativity. He measured how light from a distant star is bent around the sun by its gravitational field. Another is Lord Rayleigh whose experiments on light scattering explain why the sky is blue and later he discovered the gas, Argon.
David Dunbar who taught for 40 years at Uppingham was also a member of this select group, although out of modesty he would have been the last to tell you. If you had had the good fortune to be taught by him, this would not have come as a surprise. David hailed from Scotland and was born in Alloa, eight miles to the East of Stirling close to the Forth river, which widens to become the Firth of Forth (Estuary of the Forth) close to Edinburgh. David studied at Alloa Academy and excelled there academically becoming Dux (highest academic achiever) in his year from there he went first to study Mathematics at Edinburgh University graduating with a First. In order to expand his mathematical knowledge, he moved to Cambridge University in 1931 to do another Mathematics degree (the Mathematic Tripos) at Clare College and excelled there becoming a Prizeman in 1932 and Senior Wrangler in 1934.
He started as a Master at Uppingham School in 1934, one of the first appointments of Sir John Wolfenden, later Baron Wolfenden. He married Gertrude in August 1936 and had two daughters Joan and Alison (teachers) and a son Ian who worked in IT. During World War II David Dunbar was a member of the Home Guard, an ARP warden and in charge of local potato production, cultivated on the dug up playing fields. He was Housemaster of Highfield for two terms until Mr. Shaw was demobbed, and was then appointed Housemaster of the Hall upon the retirement of V.T. Saunders. Together with Ted Kendall (Wrangler) he headed 40 years of excellent Advanced Mathematics teaching resulting in many Oxbridge Exhibitions and Scholarships.[3] He retired in 1971 and continued to live in Uppingham.
References
1. Uppingham School Archive (courtesy of Archivist Mr. Jerry Rudman).
2. Clare College Cambridge (courtesy of Archivist Ms. Clare Butlin and Professor Ken Riley, Lecturer in Physics and Mathematics Tutor).
3. Uppingham School Magazine, September 1971 (a Biography written by Mr. Bryan Matthews)
Article compiled by Prof. Mark Sanderson (SH 69) with the help of Mr. Jerry Rudman (Uppingham School Archivist), Ms. Clare Butlin (Archivist Clare College Cambridge), Professor Ken Riley, Lecturer in Physics & Mathematics Tutor (Clare College) and Mrs Alison Wilson, David Dunbar’s daughter. Mark works at the Randall Centre of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London in the area of the Structural Biology of protein-DNA interactions and the structure of viral drug targets using the techniques of X-ray crystallography, cryo-Electron Microscopy and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. He was taught by David Dunbar for two years while at Uppingham (1970-1971).
