Arnell, J. C : J.C. (Jack) Arnell was born in Bermuda on 4 April 1918. At the age of twelve he enrolled at Ridley College in Ontario, and later attended Dalhousie and McGill universities. In 1942, at the age of 24, he received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry. A career with the Canadian Army in chemical warfare research followed. After the war, Arnell joined the Defence Research Board in Ottawa. Eventually he was appointed, in succession, Director of Scientific Intelligence and Scientific Advisor to the Chief of Air Staff and the Chief of Naval Staff. When Arnell took retirement in 1973 he was Assistant Deputy Minister in the Department of National Defence. Upon retirement, he took over San Isidro, the family home on Point Finger Road in Hamilton, Bermuda. Arnell was father to three daughters, Susan, Elizabeth and Peggy. He died in April of 2000.
Arnell researched and published hundreds of articles on Maritime mail between Britain and Canada and the United States. He was considered an authority on the transportation of mail across the Atlantic from the early days of sail to the Falmouth Packet mail and later the Cunard and Allan steamship lines. One of Arnell's preferred subjects was transatlantic stampless letter mail to Canada and the United States. A series of articles on the Cunard line published in The Canadian Philatelist in 1971 won him a coveted award, The Gelbert Medal. His major reference work, Atlantic Mails, was published in 1980. His second major study, Steam and the North Atlantic Mails appeared in 1987. Arnell's exhibits took the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada's Grand Award at their national exhibition in 1985 and Vermeil medals at Ameripex 1986 and Capex 1987. In 1980 he was awarded the Nugent Clougher gold medal for his writings in the journal of the Postal History Society of Great Britain. He was named a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada in 1984. In 1985, Arnell was inducted into The Order of the Beaver by the British North America Philatelic Society. Earlier, he had been named a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada.
Jack Arnell was editor of the British Carribean Philatelic Journal from 1974-1976. He served as Chairman of the Bermuda Stamp Design Committee from 1977-1988. Arnell was editor and publisher of 11 volumes of the Bermuda Journal of Maritime History and Archaeology. His interest in the evolution of sailing in Bermuda resulted in a book on the subject which was printed on the island. Arnell was the driving force in recruiting friends to establish the Bermuda Maritime Museum. He became Chairman of the Board and later, Secretary. Cited: James E. Kraemer, from a statement of eulogy.
