Joseph Langley Burchnall

Prof Joseph Langley Burchnall
Born	8 December 1892(1892-12-08) Whichford, Warwickshire
Died	29 April 1975(1975-04-29) (aged 82) Southwold, Suffolk
Resting place	St Edmund's Church Cemetery, Southwold, Suffolk
Education	Boston Grammar School; Christ Church, Oxford
Occupation	Mathematician
Years active	1919-1959
Employer	Durham University
Spouse	Gertrude Frances Rollinson
Children	Two sons and one daughter
Parents	Henry Walter Burchnall, Ann Newport
Relatives	Three brothers and two sisters

After being a student at Boston Grammar School, Joseph Langley Burchnall was admitted to Christ Church College, Oxford in 1911. He was the son of Henry Walter Burchnall, School House, Butterwick. Joseph Langley Burchnall graduated and became secretary to the council of Durham colleges from 1926 to 1938, when he became professor of mathematics. A photograph and a framed letter on display at Boston Grammar School were presented by Professor Burchnall, as a memento of his school days. The photograph, taken in 1908, shows him in the school gateway with friends: Clifford Ingram, W D (Banty) Newton, B J (Pickles) Merritt, who died with TB in 1914 and S M Despicht, later schoolteacher at Sutterton. When the letter was written in 1956, Prof Burchnall was the sole survivor. He retired in 1958, two years after receiving an OBE. He was president of the Old Bostonian Association from 1967 to 1969. He won the Parry Gold Medal in 1908. He was decorated with the Military Cross, during World War 1.

See Also

• Presidents of The Old Bostonian Association
• Parry Gold Medal
• Speech Day

External Links

• Joseph Langley Burchnall (on Wikipedia)
• Joseph Langley Burchnall (a biography at The MacTutor History of Mathematics archive)