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Life Story
Harold Ackroyd was born on 18 July 1877 in Roe Lane, Southport,
Lancashire to Ellen and Edward Ackroyd. His father was chairman of the
Cheshire Lines & Southport Extension Railway Company. He was educated
locally at Mintholme College, Southport, and Shrewsbury School. Following
his elder brother Edward, who had matriculated in 1893 he then entered
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge in October 1896. He completed his
Bachelor of Arts degree in 1899, before travelling. When he returned he
spent one year in the research group of Gowland Hopkins before continuing
his medical studies at Guy’s Hospital, London. He gained his BC in 1903,
MB (Bachelor of Medicine) in 1904 and his MD (Doctor of Medicine) in
1910.
Family Life: Harold met Mabel Robina Smythe (1877–1947) matron of
Strangeways Hospital, Cambridge while he was working at guys Hospital.
They were married on 1 August 1908 and lived in Great Shelford,
Cambridgeshire where their children Ursula (1909–1993) and Stephen
(1912–1963) were born. They then moved to Brooklands, 46 Kneesworth
Street, Royston, Hertfordshire, where his son Anthony (1914–1988) was
born.
Medical career: Harold worked at Guy’s Hospital in during the years 1904-
05, London before serving as the House Surgeon at Queen’s Hospital
in Birmingham. He was then employed at the David Lewis Northern
Hospital, Liverpool 1905-06 before in 1908 securing an Ordinary Research
Scholarship from the British Medical Association, which allowed him to