Mr Syme was a bookseller on Charing Cross Road in 1949.
Rumour had it that Syme had been an undercover agent for the British since before the First World War. Syme had been suspicious of Adolf Hitler since 1923, and had posted ominous reports on Hitler to the FO for years before the Second World War broke out, to no avail. Syme was bitter about the War as a result.
He believed that the Doctor was a myth. He told Honoré Lechasseur that the Doctor was blamed for the Great Fire of London, kidnapping the crew of the Mary Celeste and building Stonehenge. (PROSE: The Cabinet of Light)
He set Honoré onto a case looking into Simon Brown. (PROSE: The Winning Side)