Percy Sladen was of independent means, and held no remunerated post throughout his relatively short life (he died at 51). He attended no university or college, but gained his reputation as an academic biologist through his own efforts, association with like-minded friends and casual instruction from a professional biologist in his home-town of Halifax. The Percy Sladen Memorial Fund, a trust endowed by his wife in 1904 as a means of perpetuating her husband’s memory, was set up with the express purpose of supporting fieldwork in the earth and life sciences. The trust is administered by the Linnean Society who appoint one of the five trustees. Moreover, it was agreed by our Council that the Linnean Society should provide facilities for the annual meeting of the trust, including staff support. The publication of this Special Issue of The Linnean coincides with the centenary anniversary of the Percy Sladen Memorial Fund. By David Nichols, School of Biological Sciences, University of Exeter. Special Issue No. 4 of The Linnean Newsletter and Proceedings of The Linnean Society of London
