| Admiral Sir David Anderson KCB, KCMG, MVO |
|
|---|---|
| 28th Governor of New South Wales | |
| In office 6 August 1936 – 30 October 1936 |
|
| Monarch | Edward VIII |
| Lieutenant | Sir Philip Street |
| Preceded by | The Lord Gowrie |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Wakehurst |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 April 1874 Newton-by-Chester, Cheshire, England |
| Died | 30 October 1936 (aged 62) Sydney, Australia |
| Spouse(s) | Dame Edith Anderson (nèe Teschemaker) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1887–1932 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Unit | Cape Station China Station Africa Station |
| Commands | HMY Victoria and Albert HMS Hyacinth HMS Ajax |
| Battles/wars | Ashanti Campaign World War I |
| Awards | Mentioned in Despatches Order of the Rising Sun |
Admiral Sir David Murray Anderson KCB, KCMG, MVO (11 April 1874 – 30 October 1936) was a naval officer and governor. Anderson served in the Royal Navy from the age of 13 and served in many Colonial wars and was given various Empire postings, rising to the rank of Admiral in 1931. He retired a year later and took up the posting as Governor of Newfoundland, where he also took up the role of Chairman of the Government following the suspension of self-government in the Dominion of Newfoundland. Leaving Newfoundland in 1935, he was appointed as Governor of New South Wales but served only briefly due to his ill health. He died while in office aged 62.[1]
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Anderson was born on 11 April 1874, the second son of General David Anderson, Colonel-in-Chief of the Cheshire Regiment, and his wife Charlotte Christina, née Anderson in Newton-by-Chester in Cheshire, England. He was educated at Stubbington House School and in 1887, as a 13 year old, he became a cadet at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. Seeing action against King Koko slave traders on the Niger River, he became a Lieutenant on 23 February 1895 at age 20.[2] Anderson saw further action against West-African rebels and in the Ashanti Campaign. In 1905 he was promoted to Commander and was posted to command the Royal Yacht HMY Victoria and Albert in 1908. Also in 1908, he married a New Zealander, Edith Teschemaker. On 29 July 1910 Anderson was appointed a Member (Fourth Class) of the Royal Victorian Order, Military Division.[3] In 11 August 1911, he was promoted to Captain[4] and posted as Flag Captain on HMS Hyacinth from 1913 to 1917.[5]
When the First World War broke out he took part in the operations that resulted in the destruction of the SMS Königsberg in German East Africa, and was Mentioned in Despatches in 1915. For his actions leading to the capture of Dar es Salaam he was appointed a Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) on 1 January 1918.[6] He was also invested by the Sultan of Zanzibar with the Order of the Brilliant Star of Zanzibar, Second Class.[7] From 1918 to 1919 Anderson was posted to command the battleship HMS Ajax in the Grand Fleet.[5] In May 1921 he was appointed as an aide-de-camp (ADC) to King George V, which he held till April 1922. After a posting in England, he was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1922. On 2 June 1923 he was appointed as a Commander of the Order of the Bath (CB), Military Division.[8] He was later posted from 1923 to 1925 as a senior naval officer to the China Station and briefly served as Temporary Commander-in-Chief in 1925. He was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Third Class, by the Emperor Hirohito of Japan.[7]
Further promoted to Vice Admiral in 1927, he was appointed to command the Africa Station. From June to September 1928 he served as High Commissioner to the Union of South Africa. Being fluent in French, he was further appointed to Geneva as the Admiralty representative to the League of Nations permanent advisory commission from 1929 to 1931. On 3 June 1930 he was appointed as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB), Military division,[9] and was promoted to Admiral in 1931. He retired at his own request on 5 July 1932.[10]
Anderson was then appointed on 20 October 1932 as the Governor of Newfoundland.[11] He became His Majesty's Representative at a time of great instability in the Dominion of Newfoundland. Newfoundland had been hit badly by the Great Depression, leaving most of the banks on the verge of bankruptcy, saved only by emergency loans from Britain, the state Treasury was empty and the political process was discredited by corruption and incompetence.[12]
The Government, led by Prime Minister Frederick C. Alderdice, called upon the British government to take direct control until Newfoundland could become self-sustaining. The United Kingdom, concerned over Newfoundland's likelihood of defaulting on its loans, asked the government to establish the Newfoundland Royal Commission, headed by a Scottish peer, Lord Amulree. Its report, released in 1933, assessed Newfoundland's political system as institutionally corrupt and its economic future as bleak, recommending the abolition of responsible government, and its replacement by a Commission of the British Government.[1] Acting on the report's recommendations, Alderdice's government voted itself out of existence in December 1933. Appointed as Chair of the Commission of Government in 1934, Anderson found his role as Governor with significantly expanded powers and proved himself up to the job, constantly sending reports back to the Dominions Office and giving advice to the Dominions Secretary on how to deal with the Commission members.[12]
Despite his new-found powers, Anderson took the position as the neutral mediator, intervening only when there was a dispute in the Commission.[13] He was nevertheless involved with restructuring the administration of the state, including government departments, social services, the health system and the postal system.[14] His approach proved to be not enough to bring the Commission out of petty arguments and disputes and he was replaced in 1935 by another Naval Officer, Sir Humphrey Walwyn, and he returned to Britain.[1]
In November 1935 it was announced that he was to become the Governor of New South Wales,[15] a relatively quieter post. He was invested by King George V as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) on 5 May 1936[16] and as a Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem (KStJ) on 23 June 1936.[17]
En-route to Australia he was taken ill, and had to spend six weeks in hospital in Perth, Western Australia. He was sworn in at Sydney on 6 August 1936 and entered the vibrant area of NSW politics. Because of his recurring illness, Lady Anderson undertook many official duties on his behalf, while the Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales, Sir Philip Street, carried out his legislative and ceremonial duties. On 29 October he collapsed and died of a cerebral haemorrhage early in the morning the next day at Government House. His body was laid in state in St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney and was shipped back to England for burial.[1] Lady Edith Anderson was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) on 11 May 1937 for public service in New South Wales.[18]
| Viceregal styles of Sir David Anderson |
|
| Reference style | His Excellency |
|---|---|
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Alternative style | Sir |
| Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) | 1930[9] | |
| Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) | 1923[8] | |
| Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) | 1936[16] | |
| Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) | 1918[6] | |
| Member (Fourth Class) of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) | 1910[3] | |
| Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem (KStJ) | 1936[17] | |
| Africa General Service Medal | ||
| 1914–15 Star | ||
| British War Medal | ||
| Victory Medal | MID | |
| King Edward VII Coronation Medal | 1902 | |
| King George V Coronation Medal | 1911 | |
| King George V Silver Jubilee Medal | 1935 | |
| Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd Class, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon | [7] | |
| Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog | [7] |
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Allan Everett |
Commander-in-Chief China Station (Acting) 1925 |
Succeeded by Sir Edwyn Alexander-Sinclair |
| Preceded by Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice |
Commander-in-Chief, Africa Station 1926–1929 |
Succeeded by Sir Rudolph Burmester |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by Sir Walter Hely-Hutchinson |
High Commissioner from the United Kingdom to South Africa 1928 |
Succeeded by Sir Edward Evans |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir John Middleton |
Governor of Newfoundland 1933–1935 |
Succeeded by Sir Humphrey Walwyn |
| Preceded by Frederick C. Alderdice as Prime Minister of Newfoundland |
Chairman of the Commission of Government of Newfoundland 1934–1935 |
|
| Preceded by The Lord Gowrie |
Governor of New South Wales 1936 |
Succeeded by The Lord Wakehurst |
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