Dingwall Latham Bateson

Sir Dingwall "Dingo" Latham Bateson, CBE, MC (1898 – January 29, 1967) was a British solicitor and President of the Law Society.

Contents

Background

Bateson was the son of judge Sir Alexander Dingwall Bateson and Isabel Mary, the fourth daughter of William Latham QC. He had three brothers and two sisters.[1]

First World War service

Bateson was awarded the Military Cross (MC) whilst a second lieutenant attached to the 2nd Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment.[2]

Career

Bateson was a solicitor at firm Slaughter and May.[3]

In 1922 he married Naomi Judith, eldest daughter of composer Walter Galpin Alcock. They had two sons and one daughter.[4] One son, Timothy, became an actor.[5]

He was awarded a CBE in 1946. In 1952-53 he was president of the Law Society and was knighted in 1953.[4]

Notable friends

Bateson advised Noel Coward on financial affairs; Coward, in gratitude, named his speedboat "Dingo" after Bateson.[6] Bateson was also friends with Sir Roland Gwynne, Mayor of Eastbourne 1928-1931, who left Bateson his whole estate in his will (though in the end Bateson predeceased him).[7]

Death

Bateson died in a shooting accident in Merstham, Surrey, on January 29, 1967.[4]

Quotes

"A solicitor is a man who calls in a person he doesn't know, to sign a contract he hasn't seen, to buy property he doesn't want, with money he hasn't got."[8]

References

  1. ^ Sir Alexander Dingwall Bateson in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  2. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 31373. p. 6951. 30 May 1919. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  3. ^ http://www.biltongrange.net/do_download.asp?did=27445
  4. ^ a b c The Times, January 31, 1967, p. 12
  5. ^ Who's Who in the Theatre
  6. ^ Cole Lesley, The Life of Noel Coward, Jonathan Cape, 1976. Page 366
  7. ^ Pamela V. Cullen, "A Stranger in Blood: The Case Files on Dr John Bodkin Adams", London, Elliott & Thompson, 2006, ISBN 1-904027-19-9. Page 635
  8. ^ http://www3.hku.hk/eroonweb/hongrads/person.php?mode=detail&id=40