I was born on September 27, 1918, the second of five children.

I was educated at Bradfield College and Oxford, where I graduated in 1939.

In 1947 I married Rowena Palmer, and we have two daughters, Alison and Claire, and a son, John.

In 1948 I was appointed to a Lectureship in Physics and in 1949 elected to a Fellowship at Trinity College.

In 1959 the University recognized our work by appointing me to a new Chair of Radio Astronomy.

We enjoy sailing small boats, two of which I have designed and built myself.

During the war years I worked on the development of radar and other radio systems for the R.A.F. and, though gaining much in engineering experience and in understanding people, rapidly forgot most of the physics I had learned.