Sir Archibald Hope, 17th Baronet

Group Captain Sir Archibald Philip Hope, 17th Baronet, OBE, DFC, AE (27 March 1912 – 12 July 1987) was a Scottish aristocrat and aviator who flew with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

Sir Archibald Philip Hope, 17th Baronet
Nickname(s)Archie
Born(1912-03-27)27 March 1912
Died12 July 1987(1987-07-12) (aged 75)
Cirencester, United Kingdom
Buried
Inveresk Parish Kirkyard
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Years of service1931–1945
RankGroup Captain
Service number90127
UnitNo. 601 Squadron RAF
Battles/warsSecond World War
AwardsOfficer of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Flying Cross
Air Efficiency Award
Mentioned in Despatches (2)
RelationsSir John Augustus Hope, 16th Baronet (father)
Carl Raymond Davis (brother-in-law)

Early life and education

Archibald Philip Hope, known familiarly as Archie,[1] was the son of Sir John Augustus Hope, 16th Baronet Hope of Craighall and his wife, Hon. Mary Bruce, eldest daughter of Alexander Bruce, 6th Lord Balfour of Burleigh.[2] The Hope Baronetcy of Craighall in the County of Fife, was created in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia on 19 February 1628 for Thomas Hope, a Scottish lawyer and advisor to Charles I.[3] Archibald succeeded to the baronetcy at the age of 12 upon the death of his father in 1924.[4]

Hope attended Eton College, a boarding school in Eton, Berkshire, and Balliol College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford.[5] He graduated from Balliol in 1934 with a Bachelor of Arts, where he read Modern History.[5] He qualified as a Chartered Accountant.[5] While at Balliol, Hope appeared annually in dramatic productions with the Balliol Players.[6] Hope learned to fly at Balliol College with the Oxford University Air Squadron.[5]

RAF career

Hope served with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve until moving to the No. 601 Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force at Hendon in 1934.[5] He was called to full-time service in the Royal Air Force (RAF) on 24 August 1939,[5] From 19 August 1940 to 10 October 1940, he led the No. 601 Squadron.[1] He left No. 601 Squadron in December 1940, moving on to command RAF Drem during 1943 and RAF Peterhead in 1945.[1]

Hope is credited with five aerial victories during his military tenure.[7] In recognition of his war service, he was decorated with the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in 1940, invested as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1945, and admitted to the Royal Company of Archers.[5]

Later life

After the war Hope had business ties to English Electric Company Ltd., Napier Aero Engines Ltd., and Airwork Ltd.[5]

Family
General Sir Archibald Hope's Grave, Inveresk Parish Kirkyard

In 1938, Hope married Ruth Chamberlain Davis, the daughter of Carl R. Davis of Fryern, Storrington, Sussex.[8] The couple had two sons:[9][10] Sir John Carl Alexander Hope, 18th Baronet (1939–2007) and Charles Archibald Hope (born 1945).

Hope's mother, Lady Hope, was appointed an OBE in 1920, and served as a Justice of the Peace for Midlothian.[4] Lady Hope made her home at Pinkie House.

Hope's sister, Katharine Anne Hope (1916–1987) was married to Hope's No. 601 Squadron mate, Carl Raymond Davis.[11]

A brother, Lieutenant Colonel John Cecil Hope (1913–1945), served with the 1st Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and Military Cross, before he died on 24 April 1945 on active duty in Italy.[12] A second brother, Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Alexander Hope (1914–1982), also fought in the Second World War with the King's Royal Rifle Corps, being appointed an OBE and awarded the Military Cross, but survived the war.[13]

Hope died on 27 July 1987 in Cirencester, Gloucestershire.[14] He and his wife are buried in the Hope Baronets' plot at St. Michael's Parish Church, Inveresk, Scotland.

References
  1. Christopher Shore; Clive Williams (15 July 2008). Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the ..., Volume 2. Grub Street Publishing. p. 335. ISBN 9781898697008. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  2. "Whitaker's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage". Google Books. 1922. p. 330. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  3. "Creations by Charles I; Hope". Complete Baronetage: English, Irish and Scottish, 1625–1649. W. Pollard & Company, Limited. 1902. pp. 343–345. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  4. "Men and Women of To-Day; Hospital Workers". Dundee, Scotland: The Dundee Courier and Advertiser Newspaper. 26 July 1928. A sister of Lord Balfour of Burleigh, Lady Hope was left a widow four years ago, the baronetcy of Craighall, Fifeshire, passing to her 12-year-old son, Sir Archibald Philip Hope. Lady Hope is an O.B.E., awarded in 1920, and is a J.P. for Midlothian.
  5. "Sir Archibald Philip Hope". 601 Squadron. United Kingdom. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  6. "Sir Archibald Philip Hope" (The APGRD Productions Database contains information on over 14,000 performances of ancient works worldwide since AD 1450. It was compiled by Oliver Taplin, Amanda Wrigley, Peter Brown, and the APGRD team, and funded by the AHRC.). APDRD – Archive of Performances of Greek & Roman Drama. Balliol University. Retrieved 15 August 2017. Contributions made by this person
  7. "Allied Aces/English Aces". Fighter-Aces.com. Retrieved 6 February 2018. Entry for Hope, Sir Archibald Philip, Bart.
  8. "Five Weddings of the Week". London, England: The Bystander Newspaper. 27 April 1938.
  9. "Peerage.com Entry for Sir Archibald Philip Hope of Craighall, 17th Bt". The Peerage. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  10. Charles Roger Dod; Robert Phipps Dod (1951). Dod's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland, Including All the Titled Classes. London, England. p. 553. Retrieved 13 August 2017.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. "Peerage.com Entry for F/Lt. Carl Raymond Davis". The Peerage. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  12. "Peerage.com Entry for Lt.-Col. John Cecil Hope". The Peerage. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  13. "Peerage.com Entry for Lt.-Col. Hugh Alexander Hope". The Peerage. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  14. "The Airmen's Stories – S/Ldr. A P Hope". Battle of Britain London Monument. Victoria Embankment, London, UK. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
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