Coombe, David Edwin., 1927-1999

OUTLINE OF THE CAREER OF DAVID EDWIN COOMBE

David Edwin Coombe was born in Bath, Somerset on 9 March 1927. He was the only child of Charles and Phyllis Coombe (née Weaver). He was educated at Twerton Infants’ School, Bath and King Edward’s School, Bath. From an early age he displayed an interest in botany and diary writing. As a teenager, in 1943 he joined the Youth Service Volunteers as part of the war effort.

Coombe went to Christ’s College, Cambridge in 1945 on a scholarship and read Natural Sciences (Botany). He became a research fellow in 1951 and a lecturer in 1952. Coombe’s PhD was awarded in 1952 for Plant Growth and Light in Woodlands. The work was a study of the dry weight balance of Impatiens parviflora in relation to light climate and was notable for Coombe’s use of the Robin Hill hemisphere camera to study woodland canopy light. Coombe spent his entire professional career at Christ’s College, Cambridge and held a number of formal offices during his time. These included Tutor and Director of Studies, member of the College Council, member of the College Livings Committee, and Honorary Garden Steward. He formally retired in 1989.

In the 1940s and 1950s Coombe took part in a number of international expeditions. He travelled to Iceland in 1946, Norway in 1947 and 1950, Germany in 1951, British West Africa over 1953-1954, and Austria in 1956.

Coombe also carried out fieldtrips in the British Isles. A number of locations came to dominate his research. He made many trips to the Lizard, Cornwall from 1950 onwards. He repeatedly visited a number of ecologically interesting woodland locations in Cambridgeshire. He also made repeated visits to the Brecklands region of East Anglia.

Coombe’s principal research interests included plant growth in relation to light conditions; climate and physical factors governing the existence of specialised habitats; the study of specialised habitats over extended time periods; and the value of historical sources for the study of ecology. Coombe was noted for valuable observations in the study of ecotypic differentiation and for his specialist knowledge of the gerera Juniperus and Trifolium.

From the late 1970s Coombe’s health became an issue and affected his output. He nevertheless continued to work and publish. He died in Cambridge on 28 June 1999.

From the guide to the Catalogue of the papers and correspondence of David Edwin Coombe, 1918-2000, (University of Bath Library)