Brian Hackman obituary

My friend and colleague, Brian Hackman, who has died aged 81, was a geologist and amateur linguist who twice narrowly escaped death on his extensive travels. As a geologist he worked for governments around the world - and as a linguist he spoke German, Russian, French, Spanish and Welsh, as well as Kiswahili, Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malaysia.

He graduated in geology from the Royal School of Mines in London, and joined the Royal Engineers for his national service in Germany and Egypt, where he saw action during the Suez crisis in 1956.