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The family of one of Britain’s most notable chemists joined councillors and pupils in Hazlemere to commemorate the centenary of his death.

Sir William Ramsay – a Scottish scientist who discovered the noble gases and was awarded a Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1904 – eventually moved to Hazlemere and lived there until his death on July 23, 1916.

Members of his family joined pupils from Royal Grammar School and Sir William Ramsay School to lay wreaths at his grave in Holy Trinity Church on Amersham Road on July 14.

Pupils from Hazlemere C of E School also joined the commemoration, 100 years after pupils from the school attended Sir William Ramsay’s burial.

Representatives from University College London, where Sir William was the chair of Chemistry from 1887 and made some of his most celebrated discoveries, also laid a wreath at his grave.  

The scientist, who was born in Glasgow on October 2, 1852, worked alongside Lord Rayleigh to discover the element Argon in 1894. After discovering another noble gas, helium, he predicted other noble gases based on the periodic table of elements and established the existence of neon, krypton and xenon.

He was married to Margaret Johnstone Marshall and had a daughter, Catherine Elizabeth and a son, William George.

After retiring, Sir William moved to a house adjacent to the church in Amersham Road and lived there until he passed away aged 63.

Cllr David Thompson, of Hazlemere Parish Council, said the ceremony to remember his life went “very well.”

He said: “Although Sir William Ramsay only lived in Hazlemere for three years, he made a big impact. He moved to Hazlemere because he was in poor health and was told that it was one of the healthiest places in the land.

“Because he had lived in Germany, he gave a series of talks to residents on what was going on over there during the war and the community did get to know him quite well.”