Born in Wallington, Surrey
School - Repton School, Derbyshire
Admitted to Clare in 1928
He also had a B.Sc in physics from London University, which he apparently took as an external student while he was an undergraduate at Cambridge
He was a research student in physics at the Cavendish Laboratory and gained his Ph.D. in 1934
Joined the Department of Mineralogy and Petrology in Cambridge in 1933, serving as Demonstrator 1933-1945 and as Lecturer 1945-1977
During World War II he served with the Ministry of Supply where he worked on shell ballistics and experimental firings
1945 - returned to Clare College
1947 - elected a Fellow of St Catharine's College where he was a teacher and mentor to generations of students. His major academic contribution was his comprehensive book on Crystal Chemistry, published in 1939
1977 - he retired
He died in 2005