Bell was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College and then at Peterhouse, Cambridge, from where he graduated in 1938 with a first in French and Spanish.
He joined the British Army in 1940, was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1941, and was posted to the 48th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment which left England on 3 December 1941, destined for North Africa.
On 7 December the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and the British force, of which the Regiment was a part, was diverted to the Far East (see Pacific War).
[Bell] was a delightful character with a keen mind, a quirky sense of humour and a deep commitment to his fellow man.
In our circumstances of gradually increasing starvation and sickness, ever threatened by growing feelings of hopelessness, he realised that there was a great need for us to keep our minds active.
We could do little about improving our physical condition, but with determination and encouragement, everyone was free to exercise his mind without needing any extra food.Under Japanese regulations, prisoners were forbidden to teach, to learn, to compile or possess notes on any subject whatever, or to meet in groups for discussion.
Despite this, the university, led by Bell, established classes in seven modern languages (Dutch, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish and Urdu), as well as subjects as diverse as history, public speaking, navigation, pig-farming, civics, chess and poultry keeping.
I watch men and women working – undergraduates and graduates, men in the Royal Air Force, American soldiers – all reading quietly side by side; and I am convinced more than ever that herein lies the greatest hope for the future of mankind, in the friendly co-operation that is found in study and in learning, as in no other sphere of life; enmity and jealousy cannot flourish when the welfare of common humanity is in view.After the war, as Assistant Secretary of the University of Cambridge Board of Extra-Mural Studies, Bell was actively engaged in the organisation of extension classes and lectures, courses for German ex-POWs, and University vacation courses for students from overseas.