Group Captain Sir Archibald Philip Hope, 17th Baronet, (27 March 1912 – 12 July 1987) was a Scottish aristocrat and aviator who flew with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Early life and education

Archibald Philip Hope, known familiarly as Archie, was the son of

Sir John Augustus Hope, 16th Baronet Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Augustus Hope, 16th Baronet, Order of the British Empire, OBE (7 July 1869 - 17 April 1924) was a British soldier and politician. Life Hope was son of Rev. Canon Charles Augustus Hope, Rector of Barwick in Elmet, Yor ...

Hope of Craighall and his wife, Hon. Mary Bruce, eldest daughter of

Alexander Bruce, 6th Lord Balfour of Burleigh Alexander Hugh Bruce, 6th Lord Balfour of Burleigh, (13 January 1849 – 6 July 1921) was a Scottish Unionist politician, banker and statesman, who took a leading part in the affairs of the Church of Scotland. He was Secretary for Scotland betwe ...

. The Hope Baronetcy of

Craighall Craighall is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa and is bordered by Hyde Park, Dunkeld and Parkhurst. It sits in between the busy arterial routes of Jan Smuts Avenue and William Nicol highway and is located in Region B of the City of Johann ...

in the County of Fife, was created in the

Baronetage of Nova Scotia Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain. Baronetage of England (1611–1705) King James ...

on 19 February 1628 for Thomas Hope, a Scottish lawyer and advisor to

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

. Archibald succeeded to the baronetcy at the age of 12 upon the death of his father in 1924. Hope attended

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

, a boarding school in Eton, Berkshire, and

Balliol College Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...

, one of the

constituent colleges A collegiate university is a university in which functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges. Historically, the first collegiate university was the University of Paris and its first college was the C ...

of the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. He graduated from Balliol in 1934 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

, where he read Modern History. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant. While at Balliol, Hope appeared annually in dramatic productions with the ''Balliol Players''. Hope learned to fly at Balliol College with the

Oxford University Air Squadron The Oxford University Air Squadron, abbreviated Oxford UAS, or OUAS, formed in 1925, is the training unit of the Royal Air Force at the University of Oxford and forms part of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. OUAS is one of fifteen Universi ...

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. He was called to full-time service in the

(RAF) on 24 August 1939, From 19 August 1940 to 10 October 1940, he led the No. 601 Squadron. He left No. 601 Squadron in December 1940, moving on to command

RAF Drem The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

during 1943 and

RAF Peterhead Royal Air Force Peterhead or more simply RAF Peterhead is a former Royal Air Force sector station located east of Longside, Aberdeenshire and west of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. History The airfield was built in 1941 and disbanded in ...

in 1945. Hope is credited with five aerial victories during his military tenure. 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 The Royal Company of Archers, The King's Bodyguard for Scotland is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland—a role it has performed since 1822 during the reign of King George IV when the company provided a per ...

Later life

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

Family

In 1938, Hope married Ruth Chamberlain Davis, the daughter of Carl R. Davis of Fryern, Storrington, Sussex. The couple had two sons: 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. Lady Hope made her home at

Pinkie House Pinkie may refer to: Biology * Pinky finger or little finger * Pinkie, a baby mouse used as a food for exotic pets * Bilby or pinkie, an animal in Southern Australia * Pinkie, a rosemary cultivar People * Pinkie Barnes (1915–2012), English ...

. Hope's sister, Katharine Anne Hope (1916–1987) was married to Hope's No. 601 Squadron mate, Carl Raymond Davis. 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 The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

and

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

, before he died on 24 April 1945 on

active duty Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. In the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, the equivalent term is active service. India The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be o ...

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

Inveresk Inveresk (Gaelic: ''Inbhir Easg'') is a village in East Lothian, Scotland situated to the south of Musselburgh. It has been designated a conservation area since 1969. It is situated on slightly elevated ground on the north bank of a loop o ...

, Scotland.

References

External links

Cuthbert Orde Portrait of Sir Archibald Philip Hope
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hope, Archibald Philip 1912 births 1987 deaths

Archibald Archibald is a masculine given name, composed of the Germanic elements '' erchan'' (with an original meaning of "genuine" or "precious") and ''bald'' meaning "bold". Medieval forms include Old High German and Anglo-Saxon . Erkanbald, bishop of ...

Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia People educated at Eton College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Royal Air Force group captains British World War II flying aces Scottish flying aces Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Members of the Royal Company of Archers Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II