Born 10 March 1881 at Hinckley, Leicestershire, the second child and only son of Edward Simpson, a schoolmaster, and Charlotte McCann, his wife. He was educated at Mill Hill School and St John's College, Cambridge, where he was a scholar, and took first-class honours in the Natural Sciences Tripos, part 1, 1901, and part 2 (physiology), 1903. He took his clinical training at St Bartholomew's Hospital. He qualified in 1906, and took the Conjoint diploma and the Fellowship in 1908. Simpson settled in Liverpool, and was appointed registrar and surgical tutor at the Royal Southern Hospital and assistant surgeon to the Infirmary for Children. In 1912 he was appointed surgeon to the David Lewis Northern Hospital, with which he closely identified himself for the rest of his career. During the war of 1914-18 he served in the RAMC, was promoted colonel, was twice mentioned in despatches, and was created OBE. After returning to civil practice he took a continuing interest in the territorial army and from 1922 to 1926 was commanding officer of the Liverpool territorial field ambulance. He was also superintendent of the Liverpool St John's Ambulance Brigade. By 1941 he was senior surgeon to the David Lewis Hospital, but owing to the war remained for a further four years in charge of the surgical wards. He was also surgeon to the Margaret Beavan Hospital, Leasowe, and to the Runcorn Cottage Hospital. In the University of Liverpool he was associate professor of human anatomy and lecturer on surgery. He took an active part in the work of the Liverpool Radium Institute, and was president of the Liverpool Medical Institution. Simpson married in 1914 Elvira Constance Horobin, who survived him with two sons and a daughter. He died on 7 October 1951, aged 70. He was a man of genial and kindly spirit and spare athletic figure, quite indifferent to the outward shows of the world.