He was born at
Kingston-on-Thames in 1890, and was apparently orphaned aged only four and later raised by his aunt Emma. In 1907 he travelled to India with
his uncle to study and collect samples in
Sikkim,
Nepal,
Tibet and
Bhutan until 1910. This was aided by the local collector and plant expert, Rohmoo Lapcha. He then came to
Edinburgh to undertake a
Horticulture course at the Royal Botanic Garden. In 1913 he returned to India (without his uncle) and travelled more widely in search of species, beginning in the
Himalayas. He again explored
Sikkim and in 1914–15 returned to
Bhutan, before exploring the
Punjab in 1916. In the second half of the
First World War, he served as an officer with the
1st Gurkha Rifles in north-west India. He was later attached to the
Royal Flying Corps and stationed at
Alexandria, Egypt in 1918–19. During the early 1930s, he was also responsible for laying out the grounds of
Astley Ainslie Hospital. He retired in 1950 and moved with his wife, Emily, to
Westcliff-on-Sea in
Essex. He died at
Southend-on-Sea on 31 January 1962, aged 71. == Species described by Cooper ==