Worked at the Pest Infestation Laboratory at Slough. Published a number of articles on Cryptophagus species with Woodroffe including their comprehensive: 'A revision of the British species of Cryptophagus (Herbst)', in Trans.RESL, 106 (6), 1955, 237-282, which introduced two species new to science, eight species new to the British list, and a further eight species which had previously been widely misidentified. These included additions in earlier articles by both authors eg. 'Two species of Cryptophagus new to Britain', EMM.,., 88, 1952, pp.259-260. In conjunction with Woodroffe, Coombes also published notes on other genera, eg. ‘Salebius tarsalis Casey imported into Britain’, ibid., 90, 1953, p.186; ‘Some factors affecting mortality of eggs and newly emerged larvae of Ptinus tectus Boieldieu’, J. animal. Ecol., 31, 1962, pp.471-480; and ‘Interactions between grain beetles Sitophilus granarius L. and Ptinus tectus Boieldieu’, ibid., 99, 1963, pp.36-38. In conjunction with J.A.Freeman he published ‘The insect fauna of an empty granary’, Bull. ent. Res.,46(2), 1955, 399-417. (MD)