Robert Edgar Hope-Simpson - Early Life

Early Life

Edgar Hope-Simpson was born in 1908, the fourth of five children. His father, Sir John Hope-Simpson was in the Indian Civil Service, in 1916 the family returned to England to farm in Somerset. Sir John later became a diplomatic troubleshooter sent out by the government to solve disputes around the world including Greece (to solve the refugee problems of Turks and Greece), Palestine (he wrote The Hope-Simpson Report in 1930 which examined the economic conditions and to suggested solutions to the territorial dispute between Jews and Arabs), Canada (1934–36) (he was a Natural Commissioner and there is an area of Newfoundland "Port Hope Simpson" named after him) (see White Tie and Decorations: Sir John and Lady Hope Simpson in Newfoundland, 1934-1936 University of Toronto 1996) Hope-Simpson went to prep school at Heddon Court in Hertfordshire(1913–1919) and then Gresham's in Norfolk (1919–1925) where he won a prize for natural history - an interest which he carried on his entire life. He spent a year at the Faculte des Sciences (1925-6), Grenoble before starting his medical studies at St Thomas' Hospital. His career choice of medicine at St Thomas’ Hospital disappointed his father who wanted Hope-Simpson to farm. But Edgar was committed to medicine, He intercollated in physiology before getting his MRCS/LRCP in 1932. It was in the laboratory that he met Eleanor Dale (Daughter of Sir Henry Dale), his future wife.