A CONVERSATION WITH DANIELS,HENRY

Henry Ellis Daniels was born in London on the second of October, 1912, but his family soon moved to Edinburgh. It was at the University of E dinburgh that he graduated; then he went on to continue studies at the University of Cambridge. He later took an external Ph.D. from the Uni versity of Edinburgh, but his periods of employment, 1935-42 and 1945- 46, as a statistician at the Wool Industries Research Association, Lee ds, provided him with what was probably the most formative experience of his career. During the intervening period, 1942-45, he was Scientif ic Officer at the Ministry of Aircraft Production, working particularl y on position finding. He returned to Cambridge in 1947 as a Lecturer in Mathematics; the Statistical Laboratory came into being during his time there. In 1957 Henry became the first Professor of Mathematical S tatistics at the University of Birmingham, in which post he continued until his retirement in 1978. Since retirement he has settled in Cambr idge, where he has an honoured place in the Statistical Laboratory. Pr ofessor Daniels was President of the Royal Statistical Society for 197 4-75 and was awarded the Guy Medal of the Society, in silver in 1947 a nd in gold in 1984. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Lo ndon in 1980. He probably values equally the honour of being created a Liveryman of the Royal Company of Clockmakers in 1984: a recognition of his contribution to watch design. His principal hobbies are indeed the repair of watches and the playing of chamber music on the English concertina. The following conversation took place in his office at the Statistical Laboratory in Cambridge.