Report on the papers of Sir James Gray, F.R.S. (1891 - 1975)

Gray's work on animal locomotion comprises the major portion of the collection, but his early work on cell division and ciliary movement (and his return to this research towards the end of his career) is recorded in notebooks and working papers CSAC 49.3.77/B.7-CSAC 49.3.77/B.9, CSAC 49.3.77/B.11-CSAC 49.3.77/B.13, and CSAC 49.3.77/C.1-CSAC 49.3.77/C.4. CSAC 49.3.77/B.10 is of interest in describing experiments with bull spermatazoa, which were brought to the attention of Sir Geoffrey Taylor and led to a sequence of papers published by Taylor 1951 -52; see the memoir of Taylor by G.K. Batchelor, Biographical memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 22, 1976 pp.613-614, 630.

Autobiographical reminiscences of his career at Cambridge can be found in Gray's lecture 'Fifty years of Zoology at Cambridge', item CSAC 49.3.77/D.39.

Section A includes material relating to Gray's service in the First World War (maps, field orders, roll books, personal journals) which is of interest for military history. A hand grenade found with the military papers has been deposited in the Imperial War Museum, London.

All items are manuscript unless otherwise indicated. Titles and descriptions in inverted commas are those which appear on the files or documents.

A selection of Gray's films on animal locomotion has been offered to the National Film Archive, London.

A. Biographical and personal CSAC 49.3.77/A.1 - CSAC 49.3.77/A.21

B. Notebooks CSAC 49.3.77/B.1 - CSAC 49.3.77/B.14

C. Working papers CSAC 49.3.77/C.1 - CSAC 49.3.77/C.53

D. Lectures CSAC 49.3.77/D.1 - CSAC 49.3.77/D.70

E. Correspondence and Committees CSAC 49.3.77/E.1 - CSAC 49.3.77/E.13

Compiled by Jeannine Alton

Harriot Weiskittel

The papers were received from Lady Gray and from Dr. Hans Lissmann at the Department of Zoology, Cambridge.

b.1891

Educated Merchant Taylors' School

King's College, Cambridge

1911 Natural Sciences Tripos, CI.I

1914 Fellowship, King's College, Cambridge

1914-18 War service with Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment

1918 Awarded Military Cross and Croix de Guerre avec Palme

1919-23 Balfour Student, Department of Zoology, Cambridge

1920 Married Norah King

1923-37 Lecturer, later Reader in Experimental Zoology, Cambridge

1925-54 Editor, Journal of Experimental Biology

1929 Fellow, the Royal Society

1937-59 Professor of Zoology, Cambridge

1943-47 Fullerian Professor of Physiology, Royal Institution

1945-55 President, Marine Biological Association

1954 Knighted

1959 President, British Association for the Advancement of Science