Bees School (1905–1906) before winning an open exhibition to Jesus College, Oxford.
He served in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve during the First World War, reaching the rank of paymaster lieutenant, before working at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Plymouth.
[1] He was a member of the Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland from 1913 onwards, serving as President (1930–1931).
He became a member of the Malacological Society of London in 1919, later becoming its editor, and serving as President (1939–1942).
He was a member of the Linnean Society from 1935 onwards, serving on the council from 1943 and as Vice President (1945–1947).