Hubert Rutherford Purnell was born in Oxford, England on 13 March 1882. Ournell immigrated to Australia in 1913, where he was appointed Principal Librarian at the Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery of South Australia. He enlisted in the war in 1916 and embarked from Melbourne on the HMAT A 15 "Port Sydney".in 1917. At the end of the War he completed an Educational tour of libraries in England before returning to his position within the Library in Adelaide, South Australia.

Purnell died on 12 March 1944 at his home in Unley Park, South Australia.