Alfred Davidson
Alfred Davidson (1845-1900)
1901 Obituary [1]
ALFRED DAVIDSON, third son of Mr. Thomas Davidson, of St. George’s Place, Hyde Park Corner, was born on the 15th December, 1845.
After being educated privately and at the Ecole Centrale, Lausanne, he was articled in 1864 to Mr. R. P. Brereton, under whom he was employed on the Dartmouth and Torbay railways, Porthcawl Harbour, and the drainage of Paignton.
In 1868 Mr. Davidson entered the service of the Public Works Department of the Government of India. His first employment was as an Assistant Engineer on the Sholapur irrigation works, after which he was engaged on the survey of the Bheema and Seena rivers and on the Ahmednagar irrigation works.
In 1872 he was posted to the Eastern Nara Division, Saugor, Sind, where he remained until January, 1877, when he was transferred to the Satara Irrigation Division, as Executive Engineer, 4th-grade. For his services during the great famine of 1876-77 he was allowed to count 10 months and 20 days’ additional service towards pension.
In February, 1878, he was posted to the Gujarat Irrigation Division, Ahmedabad, and in July, 1882, he returned to the Satara Irrigation Division. There he remained until July, 1887, when he was appointed acting Executive Engineer for Irrigation in the Khandesh Division. After serving there and at Nasik, Dharwar and Belgaum, he was posted to the Poona District in June, 1895, and three years later was promoted to the rank of Superintending Engineer. Mr. Davidson remained in the Poona District until the end of 1899, when he took furlough to Europe,
On the 8th August, 1900, he died at Lausanne, his great regret during his last illness being that he was forced to be absent from his post at a time when, owing to severe famine in India, his services were much needed.
Mr. Davidson was regarded as an able and valuable officer of the Public Works Department, and his sympathetic consideration for all with whom he worked obtained for him general esteem and regard.
He was elected an Associate Member of the Institution on the 4th April, 1876, and was transferred to the class of Members on the 19th February, 1889.