A well known Shanghai resident, Mr. "Alec" Davidson, will be leaving Shanghai for England today, following his retirement from work in China. He will go on board tonight, although his ship will not sail until Sunday morning.
Mr. "Alec" Lloyd Davidson was born in Birmingham.of Scottish parents, and worked for some time on the Metropolitan Railway in England. He first came out to China in March, 1904, to join the staff of the Pukow. Sinyang Railway, which was then being built. Construction on this line was suspended in 1915, end in September of that year he joined the British Chinese Corporation in Peking. He remained in that city from 1915 to 1940, when the corporation moved its offices {0 Shanghai. Mr. Davidson has been here ever since apart from two short leaves in 1935 and 1907.
In Peking Mr. Davidson was very active in the life of the foreign community, and was honorary secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, honorary treasurer of the Rotary Club, President of St. Andrew's Socie and a founder of the Peking International Dramatic Club.
In Shanghai he has been a committee member of the St, Andrew's Society and the Corresponding Secretary of the Royal Empire Society. He is a keen golfer, and is a member of the Hungjao Golf Club.
Last year he was elected to the general committee of the British Re-Sidents' Association. Since the beginning of the war he has done a great deal of fine work in organizing the activities pf the War Efforts' Sub-Committee of the British Residents' Association.
The Chinese Government, in re. cognition of the work he has done for the railways of China, recently awarded Mr. Davidson the Order of the Brilliant Jade with Blue Field und Red Bordered Collar of merit.
Mrs. Edith Davidson came out to China in 1916. She has been a leading figure in the British Womens" Association and the Joint Womens Association. She has given much of her time and energy to social services and hospital visiting.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.