William Young Darling | |
|---|---|
 Darling in 1947. Portrait byWalter Stoneman. | |
| Member of Parliament forEdinburgh South | |
| In office 1945–1957 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel Chapman |
| Succeeded by | Michael Clark Hutchison |
| Majority | 12,887 (35.03%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 May 1885 |
| Died | 4 February 1962 (aged 76) |
| Resting place | Traquair Parish Churchyard |
| Political party | Unionist |
| Spouse | Agnes Olive Simpson |
| Relatives | The Baron Darling of Roulanish (great nephew) |
| Education | James Gillespie’s School Daniel Stewart’s College Heriot-Watt College |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
| Profession | Politician,Banker,Soldier |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1914–1922 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | Black Watch Royal Scots |
| Battles/wars | First World War Irish War of Independence |
| Awards | Military Cross |
Sir William Young DarlingCBEFRSELLDMC (8 May 1885 – 4 February 1962) was theUnionistMember of Parliament in theBritish House of Commons for theEdinburgh Southconstituency from 1945 to 1957. He was a director of theRoyal Bank of Scotland from 1942 to 1957.
He was born inCarlisle, the second son of William Darling of Edinburgh. He was educated firstly at James Gillespie's School thenDaniel Stewart's College andHeriot-Watt College. TheUniversity of Edinburgh later awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD).[1]
In theFirst World War he joined theBlack Watch as a private in 1914 and then after receiving a commission he joined theRoyal Scots in 1915 as a 2nd Lieutenant. He saw much action and was wounded five times. He was awarded theMilitary Cross with bar and wasMentioned in Dispatches. From 1920 to 1922 he served inIreland during theIrish War of Independence. During this period, together withHugh Pollard (1888–1966), he jointly printed theWeekly Summary: a synopsis of the war from a British perspective.[2] On leaving the army he became Director of the familydrapers firm.
He became a member ofEdinburgh Corporation in 1933 and was city treasurer from 1937 to 1940. He wasLord Provost of Edinburgh from 1941 to 1944; National Government Candidate for West Lothian, 1937; and chairman,Scottish Council on Industry, from 1942 to 1946.
He was appointed CBE in 1923 and knighted in 1943. In theSecond World War he was ChiefAir Raid Warden for Edinburgh from 1939 to 1941.[2]
He died on 4 February 1962. He is buried inTraquair Parish Churchyard.[3]
The first five books were published anonymously:
Published under his own name:
Published under the pseudonym "Timoleon":
Published under his own name:
He married Agnes Olive Simpson (1885–1962) in 1914.
He was thegreat uncle ofAlistair Darling,[4] an Edinburgh MP from 1987 to 2015 who held variousministerial andCabinet posts in theLabour government from 1997 to 2010.
His portrait (as Lord Provost of Edinburgh), byHerbert James Gunn is held by theCity of Edinburgh Council.[5]
{{cite book}}:|website= ignored (help)| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forEdinburgh South 1945–1957 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
