Harold Walter Bailey was born in Wiltshire but spent much of his childhood in Australia where he self-taught himself many languages. He graduated from the University of Western Australia before taking up a studentship at Oxford University. After graduating with first class honours in 1929, Bailey was appointed as Parsee Community Lecturer in the then London School of Oriental Studies. In 1936 Bailey became Professor of Sanskrit and a Fellow at Queens' College, Cambridge. He retired in 1967. It is believed that he could read more than 50 languages.
Harold Walter Bailey was born in Wiltshire but spent much of his childhood in Australia where he self-taught himself many languages. He graduated from the University of Western Australia before taking up a studentship at Oxford University. After graduating with first class honours in 1929, Bailey was appointed as Parsee Community Lecturer in the then London School of Oriental Studies. In 1936 Bailey became Professor of Sanskrit and a Fellow at Queens' College, Cambridge. He retired in 1967. It is believed that he could read more than 50 languages.
Gerard Clauson was educated at Eton and Oxford becoming a Boden scholar in Sanskrit in 1911, Hall-Houghtman Syriac Prizeman, 1913; and James Mew Arabic Scholar, 1920. He followed a career in the Civil Service which was to culminate in serving as the Assistant Under-Secretary of State in the Colonial Office, 1940-1951. However he was also a skilled linguist and wrote papers on philology. When he died in May 1974, he had been a member of the Royal Asiatic Society for 62 years.