The son of Lim Cheng Sah, a wealthy Straits Chinese landowner, Lim Han Hoe spent his formative education years in Singapore at Chong Cheng Chinese School, St. Andrew’s Mission School and Raffles Institution. He proceeded to study medicine at the local King Edward VII College of Medicine before leaving for London in 1912 to further his studies. The following year, Lim was accepted into the University of Edinburgh as well as the Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians, Edinburgh, where he trained to be a doctor. Upon graduating in 1918, Lim practised for a time at St. Andrew’s before accepting an appointment the following year as Resident House Surgeon and Medical Officer of the military section at the North Devon General Hospital. Lim decided to return to Singapore shortly after, where he accepted an offer to become a ship’s surgeon with the China Mutual Steam Navigation Company. In his later years, Lim became a prominent leader of the Straits Chinese Community, serving at various times as a member of the Legislative Council and as a Justice of the Peace. In recognition of his various public contributions, he was awarded a knighthood in 1946.
