Biographical is the largest in the collection. Needham's childhood and school-days are represented chiefly by correspondence with his parents. His period as an undergraduate and postgraduate at Cambridge is documented by correspondence with his mother and material concerning his religious activities, including his membership of the Oratory of the Good Shepherd and the Guild of St Luke and some of his religious writings. Needham's later career is less well documented, although there is material relating to his election to the Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1941. The largest component of the section is the papers of his mother, Alicia Adelaide Needham, which were inherited by Joseph Needham on her death. These include her autobiography 'A Daughter of Music', her diaries covering the period 1879-1924, a long sequence of her musical compositions (many of which were published) together with other material relating to her career as pianist and composer, and an extensive correspondence 1877-1921. In addition there is a little material relating to Needham's father and maternal grandfather. Family material also includes papers relating to Needham's cousin Elizabeth Montgomery Wilson, a nurse who served in the 1899-1902 South African War. The papers include photographs, letters and memorabilia from her time in South Africa. The section also documents some of the trades union and charitable bodies with which Needham was associated, social engagements and functions (many at Cambridge 1919-1937), and family and personal finance 1933-1959.