Born in 1913, Henry Charles Horton Gurney received his education from the Technical College and University College Cardiff in engineering. Before arriving at HKU in 1967, Gurney worked in the aviation industry and at University College Cardiff.
At HKU he Gurney served as Professor of Mechanical Engineering and was active in exploring Hong Kong and writing and presenting his poetry. Gurney retired in 1973 and passed away in 1997.