# Harold Roper

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{{Short description|British politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2016}}
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'''Sir Harold Roper''', [CBE](/source/Order_of_the_British_Empire), [MC](/source/Military_Cross) (2 September 1891 – 20 August 1971) was a British [Conservative Party](/source/Conservative_Party_(UK)) politician. After a career in British Burma, he returned to the United Kingdom and was [Member of Parliament](/source/Member_of_Parliament_(United_Kingdom)) (MP) for [North Cornwall](/source/North_Cornwall_(UK_Parliament_constituency)) from 1950 to 1959.

== Life and career ==
The son of Arthur Charles Roper, FRCS, MRCP, Harold Roper was educated at [Blundell's School](/source/Blundell's_School) and [Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge](/source/Sidney_Sussex_College%2C_Cambridge), rowing for the University in the 1913 [Boat Race](/source/The_Boat_Race). During the [First World War](/source/World_War_I), Roper served as an [officer](/source/officer_(armed_forces)) in the [Devonshire Regiment](/source/Devonshire_Regiment). Whilst an acting [captain](/source/captain_(OF-2)), he was awarded the [Military Cross](/source/Military_Cross) in the [1918 King's Birthday Honours](/source/1918_Birthday_Honours).<ref>{{London Gazette
| issue = 30718
| date = 31 May 1918
| pages = 6495–6496
| supp = y
}}</ref>

Moving to Burma, Roper was General Manager of [Burmah Oil Company](/source/Burmah_Oil_Company_Ltd.) in [Rangoon](/source/Rangoon) from 1936 to 1945. He was a member of the Burma Legislative Council 1935–36 and of the Burma Senate from 1937 to 1942. During the Second World War, Roper was a [CBE](/source/CBE) and mentioned in despatches. His CBE citation read:<ref>{{London Gazette
| issue = 35882
| date = 26 January 1943
| page = 548
| supp = y
}}</ref>

{{cquote|Harold Roper, M.C., General Manager, Burma Oil Company, Ltd., Rangoon.

Mr. Roper played a leading part in the oil denial schemes in Burma. By his personal example and influence he contributed very largely to the maintenance of the morale of his employees, without whose services the successful denial of oil supplies to the enemy would have been impossible. He remained in Rangoon to the very end and left by sea with the last demolition party.
}}

He was [knighted](/source/Knight_Bachelor) in the [1945 New Year Honours](/source/1945_New_Year_Honours) for his work for the company.<ref>{{London Gazette
| issue = 36866
| date = 29 December 1944
| page = 31
| supp = y
}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette
| issue = 36880
| date = 5 January 1945
| page = 227
}} Erratum to the original announcement which incorrectly listed him as an [MBE](/source/Member_of_the_Most_Excellent_Order_of_the_British_Empire)</ref>

Returning to the United Kingdom, in the [1950 general election](/source/1950_United_Kingdom_general_election), he stood as the Conservative candidate in North Cornwall. [Tom Horabin](/source/Tom_Horabin), who had been elected as the constituency's [Liberal](/source/Liberal_Party_(UK)) MP at the [1945 general election](/source/1945_United_Kingdom_general_election), had defected to the [Labour Party](/source/Labour_Party_(UK)) in 1947. In 1950, Horabin stood instead in [Exeter](/source/Exeter_(UK_Parliament_constituency)), and Roper won the North Cornwall seat with a majority of more than 3,000 votes over the Liberal candidate, [Dingle Foot](/source/Dingle_Foot). Roper held the seat until he stood down at the [1959 general election](/source/1959_United_Kingdom_general_election), when the Conservative [James Scott-Hopkins](/source/James_Scott-Hopkins) was elected to succeed him.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
* [http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/edates.htm Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources: UK General Elections since 1832] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040505172753/http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/edates.htm |date=5 May 2004 }}
* {{Rayment|date=February 2012}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Portal|Cornwall}}
* {{Hansard-contribs | sir-harold-roper | Harold Roper }}
* {{NPG name|79874|Sir Harold Roper}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{succession box
  | title  = [Member of Parliament](/source/Member_of_Parliament_(United_Kingdom)) for [North Cornwall](/source/North_Cornwall_(UK_Parliament_constituency))
  | years  = [1950](/source/1950_United_Kingdom_general_election)–[1959](/source/1959_United_Kingdom_general_election)
  | before = [Tom Horabin](/source/Tom_Horabin)
  | after  = [James Scott-Hopkins](/source/James_Scott-Hopkins)
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roper, Harold}}
Category:1891 births
Category:1971 deaths
Category:People educated at Blundell's School
Category:Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Category:Knights Bachelor
Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Category:British Army personnel of World War I
Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for North Cornwall
Category:Recipients of the Military Cross
Category:UK MPs 1950–1951
Category:UK MPs 1951–1955
Category:UK MPs 1955–1959
Category:Devonshire Regiment officers
Category:Burmah-Castrol
Category:Members of the Senate of Burma
Category:Members of the Legislative Council of Burma
Category:People from British Burma

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Harold Roper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Roper) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Roper?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.