the First World War broke out in 1914, many of the staff of the Indian Meteorologist Department were drafted for military service. From March to May 1916, Simpson had to perform army service as the meteorological adviser to the British Expeditionary Force in Mesopotamia, which now forms part of southern Iraq. Later, he was called upon to serve as Assistant Secretary to the Board of Munitions and had to leave Simla again. In 1920 he was appointed Director of the Meteorological Office, London. He went on to be its longest serving Director, retiring in 1938. During his tenure as Director, he was engaged in research work in the fields of atmospheric electricity, ionization, radioactivity and solar radiation. He investigated the causes of lightning and in 1926 established the Simpson wind force scale, a modification of the Beaufort wind force scale which is the current standard scale used worldwide; still called the Beaufort wind force scale. Simpson was knighted by King George V in 1935. When the Second World War began in 1939, Simpson was recalled from retirement into active service, and was asked to take charge of the Kew Observatory. There he continued his research work on the electrical structure of thunderstorms until 1947. Simpson was awarded honorary doctoral degrees by the universities of Manchester, Sydney and Aberdeen. Simpson died in Bristol on New Year's Day, 1 January 1965, at the age of 86. Family Simpson married Dorothy Jane Stephen, daughter of Cecil Stephen, on 23 September 1914. They had four children: Scott Simpson (1915–1981), Professor of Geology at Exeter University; Arthur Simpson (British scientist specialised in the study of plants and sea animals); Oliver Simpson (a National Physical Laboratory physicist); and Jean Simpson, a medical doctor. Honours and awards Hon DSc (Manchester & Sydney) Hon LLD (Aberdeen) Fellow of the Royal Society, 1915 Commander of the Order of the British Empire, 1919 Companion of the Order of the Bath, 1926 Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, 1935 President of the British Meteorological Society, 1940–1942 The British Antarctic Survey's Ice and Climate Building in Halley Bay, Antarctica (75° 35'S, 26° 40'W), is known as The Simpson Platform, in memory of Sir George Clarke Simpson. References Further reading George Clarke Simpson at allbio.co.uk PBS – "Tragedy at the Pole" "Wind force scale" Simpson family genealogy 1878 births 1965 deaths Alumni of the Victoria University of Manchester Commanders of the