Henry Gwyn Jeffreys Moseley (23 November 1887 – 10 August 1915) was an English physicist. Aged only 25, Moseley justified many concepts in chemistry by explaining the order of the chemical elements within the Periodic Table based on their physics.  Some prominent authors have speculated that Moseley could have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1916, had he not been killed.

Moseley's work with x-rays confirmed Ernest Rutherford's theory that atoms had a compact, positively charged nucleus. He demonstrated that the atomic number of each element - the position of the element within the Periodic Table - was not arbitrary, but equated to the amount of positive charge.  He also predicted the existence of two, then undiscovered, elements based on the patterns in his data.

When WW1 broke out, Moseley volunteered and was assigned to the Royal Engineers.  He served as a communications officer during the Gallipoli campaign.  Moseley was shot and killed during the Battle of Gallipoli on 10 August 1915, at the age of 27. 

Kirsty Finch