John Earle Raven was a Classical Scholar at Trinity College, Cambridge 1934-38. He was a conscientious objector during the War, basing his case on arguments by Plato. He was assigned unsalaried social work for Guy Clutton-Brok at Oxford House in Bethnal Green. He was elected to a Research Fellowship at Trinity in 1946 and when King's had a staff vacancy in 1948 in Classics he came as a Fellow to King's. Having come from a family of botanists and natural historians, he was asked by Trinity College in 1948 to investigate the claims of new and rare species found on the island of Rhum in the Outer Hebrides, by Professor J.W. Heslop Harrison. He delivered his report, and deposited a copy at the King's College Library to be closed to readers until the deaths of himself and Professor Harrison.