EMINENT BANKER

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19258, 25 February 1937, Page 4

EMINENT BANKER

SIR JOHN DAVIDSON VISITOR TO GISBORNE MEAD OP UNION BANK Accompanied by Lady Davidson, Major-General Sir John Davidson, chairman of directors of the Union Bank of Australia, Limited, will reach Gisborno this evening in the course of a tour of New Zealand in the interests of bis bank.

Sir John Davidson, who retired from the British Army in 1922 with the rank of Major-General, succeeded the Hon. Kdmund W. Parker recently in the office of chairman of the bank, and among other interests in the commercial world holds directorships in the Bank of Egypt, the Gresham Insurance Societies, and •Messrs. Dalgoty and Company, Limited. The distinguished visitors have been some weeks in New Zealand, having toured a great part of the South Island. Their home is at Eaton terrace, London, but they have world-wide connections, and in the course of their lour of Australia and New Zealand have renewed many acquaintanceships; made in earlier years. Sir John, after passing through Sandhurst, entered the King's Royal Rifles in 1096, and served through the Soutli African War, receiving mention in dispatches on more than one occasion, and being awarded the Distinguished Service Order. lie holds the Queen's Medal with seven clasps and the King's Medal with two clasps, for service on the veldt. During the Great War, he was mentioned in dispatches no fewer than 11 times, and in addition to the Mons Star, was awarded the Legion d'Honneur, the Croix do Guerre, the Croix de Couronne, the Belgian Croix de Guerre, and the American Distinguished Service Medal. Retiring from the Army in 1922, Sit John Davidson" entered politics as a member of the Unionist group, and sat iir'the House of Commons for some years ;i» member for the Fareham division of Hants. lie inherited a connection with the financial and commercial world, and m his later years has emerged as one ot the more important banking personalities in London. He was knighted in 1919. Lady Davidson, the voungest daughter ot the late Mr. J. P. 'Grant, of Rothiemurchus, was married to Sir John Davidson in 1905. They have one daughter.