Desmond Morris - Early Life

Early Life

Born 1928 in Purton, in 1933 Desmond Morris moved to the nearby town of Swindon, of which remained his primary home up until 1951. In It was during this time period in Swindon that Morris began to develop a strong interest in the likes of both natural history and writing. In 1941 Morris attended Dauntsey’s co-educational boarding school for 11-18 year olds on the northern edge of Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. During this time period away at school is when Morris’s passion for both zoology and the modern visual arts began to intensify and come to surface. 

Five years later, in 1946, Morris was conscripted into the army for two years of national service. However, during his time period served, he became a lecturer in fine arts at the Chisledon Army College. Morris also within this time began to take painting seriously. He was demobilized from the army in 1948, that year he held his first one man showing of his own paintings at the Swindon Arts Center located in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. Pursuing his interests immediately, that Autumn he enrolled into the Zoology Department as an undergraduate at the University of Birmingham as well. Shortly thereafter, Morris graduated earning a First Class Honours Degree in Zoology. Further moving on in 1951 to Oxford Universities Zoology department to begin his research into animal behavior for his doctorate degree, mainly basing his studies on reproductive communication systems. In 1954 Oxford university honors him as Doctor of Philosophy for his research and works leading to his doctoral thesis regarding the Reproductive Behavior of the Ten-spined Stickleback.