The distinguished research scientist Robert Reid Walls was born and educated in Edinburgh, though his family came from Orkney. His father was a scientific-instrument maker in Edinburgh, responsible for the first x-ray apparatus in the city. After graduating from Edinburgh University from which he was awarded the degree of MA in 1914 - and also a B.Sc. - the younger Walls entered the field of electrical and mechanical instruments design. He became involved in industry and management and was co-opted as a member of the British Institute of Management set up by Sir Stafford Cripps. Walls travelled abroad on scientific research, especially in Brazil (looking for rare minerals) and in East Africa (searching for oil) spending some time in Portuguese Nyasaland which today constitutes part of northern Mozambique. He became a Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society for his work. Robert Reid Walls died in Bournemouth on 12 September 1975.
From the guide to the Collection of Photographs taken in Portuguese Nyasaland (Northern Mozambique) 1920-1921, 1920-1922, (Edinburgh University Library)
