Does anyone know of any books or other information one can read on this American hunter in Africa? All I can seem to find is that he suggested to G&H a 358 caliber cartridge using a 275 gr. bullet for African hunting. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

http://www.rifleshootermag.com...on_rs_358sta_201008/

googled interesting.

Mike

Here are four references that I have turned up:

Elmer Keith, "Keith's Rifles For Large Game"
Std. Publications, 1946, pg. 279

Elmer Keith, "Safari"
Safari Publications, 1968, pg. 133

Myles Turner, "My Serengeti Years"
?, 1988 Am. Edition, pg. 33-34

Tony Dyer, "Men For All Seasons"
Trophy Room Books, 1996, one sentence
that simply states....
The first hunter to hunt in the Serengeti, c.1920.

Simpson was an advocate for the .35 caliber, hope this helps-

Tim W.

....And one more:

S. R. Truesdell, "The Rifle, Its Development
For Big-Game Hunting"
Safari Press reprint,1992,
pg. 145, 167-168, 184

Tim W.

Do you mean "Layne Simpson" 358 Shooting Times Alaskan?????

Michael

somewhere I have some info and photos, I can try to post later...

Hi Guys,

Hey, thank you very much for all of the help/suggestions so far. It's a lot more than I could find. And Michael, yes, I do mean Leslie Simpson, not Layne. If you scholars find any other material to pass on I'd be grateful. Much obliged.

It is believed that Chas Cottar was (probably) the First American Professional Hunter in East Africa (around 1909-1910), followed by White Hunters Al Klein, and Leslie Simpson in the 1920s.

Simpson & Al Klein had such clients as Saxton Pope (of pope & young club) and Edward Stewart White (White wrote several books, and there should be references to Simpson in his books). Simpson was a retired American Mining engineer. He and his friend Al Klein used American Model A Fords and followed the old tracks of Bwana Cottar though these vast hunting areas of Tanganyika. They hunted a lot in Loliondo & Serengeti.

There is still today a place called Klein's Camp. But before that, it was known as "Simpson Springs" after Leslie Simpson.

I'll try here to post a photo of Leslie Simpson. I believe he is the man on the right side. Note his double, with bluing worn off from african carry. Hope this helps.

Here's a bit more info:

His name is commonly (mistakenly) spelled in Africa hunting books as SIMPSON (with a P) but I believe his name was really spelled SIMSON.

Both Leslie Simpson & Leslie Simson were described as wealthy American mining engineers who went to South Africa and got rich mining gold, and then to east Africa hunting big game (about the same time) and both reported to have guided Saxton Pope and author Edward Stewart White. So must be the same guy.

Leslie Simson, of Oakland, Cal. (1867 to 1939) retired from mining in 1910. He later created the Simson African Hall Museum in california. He died by suicide (gunshot) at age 74, depressed, bored, and missing Africa. Many explorers called him "The greatest hunter of big game in africa".

Some reports show he started in East Africa around 1914. Al Klein took over Simpson Camp in 1926, and renamed it Klein's Camp.

From what I gather, he was more or less a part time white hunter, and I believe Al Klein did a lot more PHing. In 1925, Simpson made a semi-permanant camp in Serengeti (hunting was permitted prior to 1937) on the site where in the 1960's the present day Serena Lodge was later built. When Simpson guided Edward S. White, they shot 51 lions in 3 months!

I am posting a photo of Leslie Simson. The other photo (with double rifle) had old writing on the back "Leslie Simpson on right". The two men do not look much alike. But if the 1st photo was taken around 1915, or so, and the 2nd taken shortly before his death in 1939, that's 24 years. I guess it could be him.

I hope this info is mostly correct, and gives some insight into this great, (and somewhat forgotten) african hunter.

TANZ-PH: Thanks so much for the information and photos. That's very interesting about the two spellings of his last name. There doesn't seem to be a lot of information on him and that sort of surprises me. Perhaps its because he didn't write any books of his own about his adventures. Do you know of any books that he may have written on his African hunting? Is that picture of him in the book you posted from a book about him or written by him? Thanks for your time and research!

Karibu sana/very welcome.

No, to the best of my knowledge, I dont think Simpson ever published any books on african hunting. Perhaps some magazine articles? but I dont know of any. To find out more about him, one would have to read the two or three books written about African hunting by Edward S. White, and Saxon Pope "Adventurous Bowman" (he also shot tons of lions with Simpson & Klein; as lions were considered vermin in that area), also another book by H.A. Snow (but I havn't read any of these books yet) That antique photo is not in any book that I know of.
I also do a bit of writing on the side and was working on an article on White Hunter Al Klein. As the two hunters were friends, I knew a little about Mr. Simpson as well. Interesting to know that Americans were successfully professionally hunting in East Africa since the 1910 -1920s.

I am a student of East African hunting history, and if I uncover anything else of interest on Simson, I'll post it here.

According to Elmer keith, Simson hunted 23 years in Africa,and used a .35 Cal for plains game,and a .577 double for lion, DG. This is probably the rifle he's holding in the first photo.

Great info TANZ-PH. I had read that he suggested to Townsend Whelen a 35 caliber for plains game of a rifle that had served him well in Africa. You just mentioned this plus the 577. I would assume that 35 caliber must have been a 350 Rigby Magnum, or possibly a 400/350? Do you know for sure? Again, thanks for the replies.

I don't know much about his .35 cal. It sure would great to find out what happened to his .577 Double rifle. Supposedly he killed all his many lion with the .577

His good friend American PH Al Klein (who used "A 14 lb English double")reportedly stopped counting his tally on lions in 1928 when he personally bagged 120 lion. As a PH it was reported that he "was in on the kill of over one thousand lion" (?!!). In those days, most of their clients (like Saxton Pope) killed several lion on one trip.
A bit more interesting info from internet: On Saxton Pope safari, about 7 lions were shot. They apparently found it somewhat difficult to kill them with their primitive bows, and some had to be finished with (Simson's?) double rifle. "The guide (Leslie Simson) Pope was using was quite famous, and one of the preeminent lion hunters ever. He killed over 75, and never been mauled."
And Interesting....
From a letter by Saxton Pope: "Our prime object is to hunt with bow & arrow the many small game, water bucks, antelope, and other herbivora of the tropics. We are not attempting to make any foolhardy assults on Lions, elephants, rhinos and buffalo. The probabilities are that an arrow will kill all these fearsome beasts, and, under favorable conditions, we may try the experiment. But here (it is only part of sanity) we shall be backed up with "life insurance", the big cordite guns, and it must be remembered that we go in company of two of the greatest African hunters of the age, Simson and White. The latter is considered by Roosevelt the best shot that ever entered the country".

also:
From J.A. Hunter in his book "Hunter" Page 22

"I knew Leslie Simpson, an American Hunter reputed to be the greatest lion killer of his day, for in one year he dispatched 365 lions. These men were my heros and I longed to be like them."

I guess I'll leave my research at that, as there does not seem to be a great deal of interest in this topic....