OBITUARY

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 1, 3 January 1933, Page 8

OBITUARY

MR. H, MOSS DAVIS

A Press Association cablegram/ from London announces ithe death of Mr.. S. Moss Davis, formerly of Auckland, but who has resided,in London since 1905.; He -was;an active member of the New Zealand War Contingent v Association from 1915 to 1920. ■ Mr.. Moss Davis made many valuable art gifts to the Auckland : Art Gallery and Public Library. -

■Mr. Moss Davis was born in London on 3rd April, 1847, and was taken-out to Australia by his parents as an infant in the barque Agricola, residing in Sydney until 1855, when he returned with his parents to London. He was educated at the celebrated school of Dr. Pinches in Lombard street, which turnr ed out many brilliant men, ( including Sir Henry Irving, Sir Edward Clark, K.C., and others. He returned to Sydney in. 1861, and in the year came to New Zealand in the.brig Wild Wave, there being very few,steamers in those days. -He related-how ' he landed from a small beat on to a bullock dray oii.tue beachj and.was taken ashore to where' Lambton quay how' stands. After a brief stay'in Wellington ho proceeded to Lyttelton and joined his uncle, who was a merchant in business there. In those days there was no tunnel through to Christchureh, and Mr. Davis had many times to walk over the hills to get to the town. He also saw the beginning of the Lyttelton tunnel, andthe first railway-locomotive landed, as well as one of the first telegraph offices established, in New Zealand, . He was contemporaneous in those'days with Sir James Milts, who was also in Lyttelton, his fatiier being the Collector of Customs there. ' He remained in Lyttelton for two'years, and then went to ] Nelson to join his father, who was in business as a merchant. ,

In IS7O he went to Australia, where he married Miss Jacobs, of Melbourne, on *29th March, 1871. She. was born inManchester, and came to Melbourne with her brother about the year IS6S. Mrs. Moss Davis has been noted all her life for her philanthropy and outstanding personality, .being gifted in many ways.'.1 ' ■ W'■'■' '■■'-.. .'

Mr. Moss Davis took over his father's business of '"general merchant in 1575, and afterwards saw'a. lot of the gold mining on the West Coast, and went through the vicissitudes of the early pioneers. He eventually .made a success of his business and at the age of 36 he decided to retire, but found it impossible to be idle, so went to Auckland in 1885 to join the firm of Hancock and Co. On, the death of his partner., Mr. Samuel Jagger, ho became the sole proprietor of the present wellknown firm. Mr. Davis often spoke of the time-when as a merchant in Nelson in the early 'seventies he used to import Irish butter from Cork. It came out in firkins, salted, and in those days they had to treat it in order to extract the salt arid make'it palatable. During the war Mr. Davis took, as above stated, a leading part in London in various organisations founded to promote the welfare of the soldiers, and many a returned soldier will recall his .keen and generous regard for their iutcrests.