He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, where he helped found The Raymond Priestley Centre on the shores of Coniston Water in the Lake District National Park.

Priestley collected mineral and lichen samples from the region including islands in the Ross Sea, the North face of the Mount Erebus volcano, and mountains near the Ferrar Glacier.

He was part of the advance team that laid the food and fuel depots for Shackleton's nearly successful attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole in 1909.

They had provisions for eight weeks but their tents were badly damaged by a gale, and the Terra Nova was unable to penetrate the ice pack and pick up the party as arranged.

They eventually arrived safely back at Cape Evans on 7 November 1912, only to be informed that Scott and the entire Polar party had perished months earlier.

Priestley served in the British Army during World War I, receiving a commission as a temporary second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers (London Wireless Signal Company) on 5 September 1914.

from 1917 to 1919, and was involved in the taking of the Riqueval Bridge, part of the Hindenburg line, by the 137th Infantry Brigade, for which he was awarded the Military Cross in March 1919:[6][7] Lt.

Near Bellenglise on 2nd, 3rd and 4th October, 1918, he was in charge of the executive handling of the signal communications and was mainly instrumental in keeping touch with units during the attack on Ramicourt and Montbrehain.

He also wrote "Breaking the Hindenburg Line", an account of 46 (North Midland) Division's spectacular attack during the Battle of St Quentin Canal.

The same year, he co-founded, with fellow Terra Nova expedition member Frank Debenham, the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge.

In 1924 he joined the university's administrative staff, becoming concurrently assistant registrar, secretary to the board of research studies and secretary-general of the faculties.