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*The WWI C.M.G. O.B.E. Group of 4 awarded to Captain John Wallace Ord Davidson, Chinese Labour
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Description
*The WWI C.M.G. O.B.E. Group of 4 awarded to Captain John Wallace Ord Davidson, Chinese Labour Corps, who first went to China as a Student Interpreter at Canton, and after WWI service resumed his Foreign Office Career, later attaining the position of Consul-General in Shanghai in 1938, comprising: The Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George, Companion’s (C.M.G.) neck badge, by Garrard, in silver-gilt and enamels, with remnants of original case of issue; The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Civil Division, Officer’s breast badge in silver-gilt; British War and Victory Medals (Capt. J. W. O. Davidson); Small chip to reverse enamel of first, the second well-polished with a few contact marks, small bruise to last, generally good very fine (4). C.M.G.: London Gazette: 23 June 1936 (H.M. Consul in China); O.B.E.: London Gazette: 3 July 1926 (Acting British Consul at Kiu Kang). John Wallace Ord Davidson was born in Shanghai, China in 1889, the son of George Greenshields Davidson, a Marine Engineer (born 1854 in Kirkinner), and Jane Egan Ord (born 1863 in Tynemouth). His parents had married in Shanghai, where both he and his elder brother William were born. The two brothers were sent to be educated as ‘boarders’ at Dumfries Academy, and then at Christ’s Hospital School in London, where John is shown as a 12-year old at the time of the 1901 census. Leaving school in July 1906, he applied as a Student Interpreter to join the Foreign Office Consular Service in China in July 1909, where he was one of 5 applicants accepted – coming in second place (by only a single mark), and joining in September that year. After the outbreak of war in late 1914 his brother William joined up as a Lance Corporal in the 1/14th (London Scottish) Battalion, London Regiment, but was tragically killed in action on 15 June 1915 in France. Two years later, it was logical that given his language skills and experience in China, John was made a Temporary Captain in the Chinese Labour Corps on 13 June 1917, and soon after served in France on the Western Front. The Chinese Labour Corps’ 96,000 volunteers (and a further 30,000 working for the French) made a vast and often misunderstood contribution to work unloading ships and trains, digging trenches, making roads and also repairing British tanks on the Western Front – becoming known as ‘the forgotten of the forgotten’. Often based close to the front lines, many were shot at or shelled, or gassed during service. Furthermore, they remained for some time after the Armistice on November 1918, continuing with the difficult and highly dangerous work of clearing live ordnance and exhuming bodies to be reburied elsewhere. Many of these men died en route from China, and a further 2,000 are themselves buried in Commonwealth War Graves – however some claim that as many as 20,000 died in total. Returning to the Consular Service in China after the war, he was made Vice-Consul in China on 1 December 1925, and was duly appointed as O.B.E. on 5 June 1926. He was promoted to Vice Consul 1st Grade on 14 December 1928, and then as full Consul on 25 January 1931. As part of his role there he helped to promote British trade and access to the Chinese market, and letters of appreciation from the firms ‘Butterfield & Swire’ and ‘Jardine Matheson and Company’ concerning the resumption of British shipping in Wanhsien after an exclusion incident in 1926 show that he had some success It would appear from these letters (offered herewith) that he played an important role at Chunking, and that subsequently General Chiang Kai Shek moved on the exclusion. He was made C.M.G. on 22 June 1936, and reached the position of Consul-General on 17 December 1938. During WW2 he was also behind the organisation of an ‘Old English Fair’ at the consulate in Hankow, which raised over £161 for the Lord Mayor’s National Air Raid Distress Fund in May 1941. He reached the ‘Sixth Grade’ in the Foreign Office in May 1947, but appears not to have served further. He died in 1973 in Holsworthy, Devon. Offered with matching set of four miniature awards, eight original warrants or award documents, higher education certificates, two photos relating to his brother, and a quantity of other related letters and documentation.
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*The WWI C.M.G. O.B.E. Group of 4 awarded to Captain John Wallace Ord Davidson, Chinese Labour Corps, who first went to China as a Student Interpreter at Canton, and after WWI service resumed his Foreign Office Career, later attaining the position of Consul-General in Shanghai in 1938, comprising: The Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George, Companion’s (C.M.G.) neck badge, by Garrard, in silver-gilt and enamels, with remnants of original case of issue; The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Civil Division, Officer’s breast badge in silver-gilt; British War and Victory Medals (Capt. J. W. O. Davidson); Small chip to reverse enamel of first, the second well-polished with a few contact marks, small bruise to last, generally good very fine (4). C.M.G.: London Gazette: 23 June 1936 (H.M. Consul in China); O.B.E.: London Gazette: 3 July 1926 (Acting British Consul at Kiu Kang). John Wallace Ord Davidson was born in Shanghai, China in 1889, the son of George Greenshields Davidson, a Marine Engineer (born 1854 in Kirkinner), and Jane Egan Ord (born 1863 in Tynemouth). His parents had married in Shanghai, where both he and his elder brother William were born. The two brothers were sent to be educated as ‘boarders’ at Dumfries Academy, and then at Christ’s Hospital School in London, where John is shown as a 12-year old at the time of the 1901 census. Leaving school in July 1906, he applied as a Student Interpreter to join the Foreign Office Consular Service in China in July 1909, where he was one of 5 applicants accepted – coming in second place (by only a single mark), and joining in September that year. After the outbreak of war in late 1914 his brother William joined up as a Lance Corporal in the 1/14th (London Scottish) Battalion, London Regiment, but was tragically killed in action on 15 June 1915 in France. Two years later, it was logical that given his language skills and experience in China, John was made a Temporary Captain in the Chinese Labour Corps on 13 June 1917, and soon after served in France on the Western Front. The Chinese Labour Corps’ 96,000 volunteers (and a further 30,000 working for the French) made a vast and often misunderstood contribution to work unloading ships and trains, digging trenches, making roads and also repairing British tanks on the Western Front – becoming known as ‘the forgotten of the forgotten’. Often based close to the front lines, many were shot at or shelled, or gassed during service. Furthermore, they remained for some time after the Armistice on November 1918, continuing with the difficult and highly dangerous work of clearing live ordnance and exhuming bodies to be reburied elsewhere. Many of these men died en route from China, and a further 2,000 are themselves buried in Commonwealth War Graves – however some claim that as many as 20,000 died in total. Returning to the Consular Service in China after the war, he was made Vice-Consul in China on 1 December 1925, and was duly appointed as O.B.E. on 5 June 1926. He was promoted to Vice Consul 1st Grade on 14 December 1928, and then as full Consul on 25 January 1931. As part of his role there he helped to promote British trade and access to the Chinese market, and letters of appreciation from the firms ‘Butterfield & Swire’ and ‘Jardine Matheson and Company’ concerning the resumption of British shipping in Wanhsien after an exclusion incident in 1926 show that he had some success It would appear from these letters (offered herewith) that he played an important role at Chunking, and that subsequently General Chiang Kai Shek moved on the exclusion. He was made C.M.G. on 22 June 1936, and reached the position of Consul-General on 17 December 1938. During WW2 he was also behind the organisation of an ‘Old English Fair’ at the consulate in Hankow, which raised over £161 for the Lord Mayor’s National Air Raid Distress Fund in May 1941. He reached the ‘Sixth Grade’ in the Foreign Office in May 1947, but appears not to have served further. He died in 1973 in Holsworthy, Devon. Offered with matching set of four miniature awards, eight original warrants or award documents, higher education certificates, two photos relating to his brother, and a quantity of other related letters and documentation.
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If Morton & Eden Ltd. sells an item of Property which is later shown to be a “Counterfeit”, subject to the terms below Morton & Eden Ltd. will rescind the sale and refund the Buyer the total amount paid by the Buyer to Morton & Eden Ltd. for that Property, up to a maximum of the Purchase Price.
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(i) the catalogue description was in accordance with the generally accepted opinions of scholars and experts at the date of the sale, or the catalogue description indicated that there was a conflict of such opinions; or
(ii) the only method of establishing at the date of the sale that the item was a Counterfeit would have been by means of processes not then generally available or accepted, unreasonably expensive or impractical; or likely to have caused damage to or loss in value to the Property (in Morton & Eden Ltd.’s reasonable opinion); or
(iii) there has been no material loss in value of the Property from its value had it accorded with its catalogue description.
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(ii) return the Property to Morton & Eden Ltd. in the same condition as at the date of sale and be able to transfer good title in the Property, free from any third party claims arising after the date of the sale.
Morton & Eden Ltd. has discretion to waive any of the above requirements. Morton & Eden Ltd. may require the Buyer to obtain at the Buyer's cost the reports of two independent and recognised experts in the relevant field and acceptable to Morton & Eden Ltd. Morton & Eden Ltd. shall not be bound by any reports produced by the Buyer, and reserves the right to seek additional expert advice at its own expense. In the event Morton & Eden Ltd. decides to rescind the sale under this Guarantee, it may refund to the Buyer the reasonable costs of up to two mutually approved independent expert reports, provided always that the costs of such reports have been approved in advance and in writing by Morton & Eden Ltd.
