William Syer Bristowe was born on 1 September 1901. He was educated at Wellington College and Cambridge, joining the Cambridge University Expedition (leader James Mann Wordie) to Jan Mayen in 1921. He travelled on a further Cambridge University Expedition to Brazil in 1923. In 1925, Bristowe joined the Brunner Mond, which subsequently merged with ICI the following year. In 1936, he was appointed head of the Far East Department and director of Eastern subsidiary companies, later serving as head of Central Staff Department from 1948 and 1962. His numerous publications include studies of spiders found throughout the world including those in the Arctic and Antarctic. His major work, The Comity of Spiders, was published in two volumes between 1939 and 1941. He died on 11 January 1979.
Published work A book of islands by William Syer Bristowe, G. Bell & Sons London (1969) SPRI Library Shelf (34)[1969]
From the guide to the William Bristowe, 1921, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)
