James Alfred Davidson

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James Alfred Davidson, OBE, (22 March 1921 – May 2004), was a British naval commander and diplomat. After serving during the Second World War, he joined the Commonwealth Relations Office where he held several posts in Cambodia, Brunei, Bangladesh and the British Virgin Islands.

Early life[]

Davidson was born in 1922 and educated at Portsmouth Grammar School and Christ's Hospital, then at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

HMS postings[]

His first posting, as a midshipman, was to the HMS Hawkins, but in 1942 he was transferred to the destroyer HMS Inconstant.[1]

In 1943 he was appointed first lieutenant of the frigate HMS Calder. A year later, in February 1944, at the age of just 21, Davidson took temporary command of the ship.[1]

Davidson joined HMS Rocket a few months later, an Eastern Fleet destroyer which took part in the Battle of Penang. He trained to be a pilot and later served as executive officer and first lieutenant on HMS Childers.

Government service[]

In 1951 he was posted as naval liaison officer to the Chinese Nationalist Government.

He married his wife Daphne While in 1955.

He joined the Commonwealth Relations Office in 1960. His first assignment was as first secretary in the newly independent Trinidad. In 1969, he was posted to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he witnessed the overthrow of Prince Sihanouk. He continued to serve until the Khmer Rouge fully took over the country. [1]

Davidson wrote a book on the region in 1979: Indo-China: Signposts in the Storm.[2] He was appointed OBE in 1971.

After the India-Pakistan war, he become deputy high commissioner in East Pakistan, which was soon become Bangladesh. In this position, Davidson took part in negotiations on Indira Gandhi's visit to Bangladesh in March 1972. [1]

His next two appointments were to Brunei as High Commissioner and as Governor of the British Virgin Islands.[1]

Retirement[]

He retired from the Diplomatic Service in 1981.[3] He continued to take up several other positions including as a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics he decided to do a pupillage at the Admiralty Bar. He was a member of the inquiry into the sinking of the MS European Gateway.

Offices[]

Preceded by
 Governor of the British Virgin Islands
1978–1982 		Succeeded by

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "James Davidson". Times Newspapers. 3 June 2004. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  2. ^ Davidson, J. (James) (1979). Indo-China, signposts in the storm. Singapore : Longman. ISBN 978-0-582-72603-1.
  3. ^ Joyner, Tammy (21 October 1982). "James Davidson: Diplomat Says International Scene Similar to Pre-Hitler Germany". The Charlotte Observer. p. 77. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
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