In the Dec. 29, 2023 issue of Chatham This Week I told you about local automotive pioneer Noble Duff; in this column I would like to tell you about another auto original, H.W. Simpson.

Harvey Wilfrid Simpson was born in the Orillia area on Sept. 26, 1893.

As a young man he was eager to prosper in the automotive business and this brought him to Chatham in 1921 to work for Robert Gray at Gray Dort.

The timing of his joining the firm would make sense, as this was just at the stage when the Grays were phasing out buggies, furniture and farm related products so that automobile production could be increased from 2,500 cars per year to 8,000.

The municipal directories of the early 1920s list him as service manager, which would have meant that he worked out of the sales, service and storage garage at the northeast corner of King and William streets.

This was a former tobacco factory that had been substantially enlarged by the Grays to accommodate their automotive retail, service and winter storage activity.

Another directory lists him as sales manager,........

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