Burchnall was born in
Whichford,
Warwickshire, the son of Walter Henry Burchnall, a schoolmaster, and Ann Newport. He was the eldest of six children. Around 1900 the family moved to
Butterwick, and thereafter Joseph was educated at
Boston Grammar School, then progressed to
Christ Church, Oxford graduating BA in 1914 and MA (in absentia) in 1915. He had a distinguished military history during the
First World War winning the
Military Cross in 1918 whilst serving in the
Royal Garrison Artillery. He was wounded three times and lost a leg in March 1918. After the war he joined
Durham University as a Reader in Mathematics then progressed to be a Lecturer. He became a professor in 1939 and continued this until retirement in 1959. He wrote many mathematical papers in conjunction with
Theodore William Chaundy. He was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1953. He was appointed an OBE in 1956 for services to education and the community. He was President of the Old Bostonian Association (his old school alumni) from 1967 to 1969. He died on 29 April 1975 in
Southwold, Suffolk. He is buried in St Edmunds Church Cemetery in Southwold. ==Family==