Arthur William Lefevre D'Arcy ANDERSON [1869-1938]

Nephew to John Graham Anderson.

He was the founder of the Shanghai Police Specials, which force he commanded for 4 years, Honorary Life Assistant Commissioner of The Shanghai Municipal Police and a popular personality in all Shanghai circles. He died in Shanghai at the age of 69 after a long illness.

The youngest son of Lt-Col Thomas Anderson, late 78th Highlanders and Josephine (nee D'Arcy) his wife, Mr Anderson was born at Whitmuir Hall, Selkirk in 1869 and educated at the United Service College, Westward Ho, being a contemporary of Rudyard Kipling, and at Merchant Taylors' School and London University.

In 1885 he went to Australia where he assisted Professor Wragge, initiate of the Queensland Government Meteorological Service. During the years that he spent in Australia Mr Anderson became associated with all phases of life in the Commonwealth, having served on cattle and sheep stations, worked as a Government Railway Surveyor and in the pearl fishing industry on the north west coast.

He arrived in Shanghai in 1889 where he joined the firm of Butterfield & Swire. In 1898 he founded the firm of A.L. Anderson & Co and was instrumental in founding the Shanghai Stock Exchange of which he was elected Chairman seven times. He retired in 1925.

He was a prominent Freemason being Worshipful Master of the Northern Lodge in 1904 following which he served as District Grand Secretary, Registrar and Treasurer for North China. He was founder of Daintree Lodge, Weihaiwei, being made a life member of the Lodge for his services to Freemasonary.

His prowess in the sporting world was well known, in his younger days and as a rider he won the Jockey Cup and several small races. For four years he held the Shanghai Sculling Championship and was for many years cox and coach of the Scottish Crew. He was an Hon Life Member of the Shanghai Rowing Club, Commodore of the Shanghai Yacht Club from 1905-1906 and it is interesting to note that he produced for the club the British Admiralty's Warrant to fly the Blue Ensign. He was also an Hon. Life member of the Shanghai Yacht Club.

With Sir Francis Aglen, Arthur founded the Shanghai Hockey Club. In 1907 he visited the source of the Niger River on an elephant shooting  expedition during which he shot the first known specimen of pigmy elephant caled by the natives "Bwenni" in the Timini country. He also had shot and fished in many lands and had discovered Anderson Falls, Bagwe River, Sierra Leone's Hinterland and Anderson Lake British Columbia, where the present railway station are named D'Arcy in his honour.(1)

His work for public service in Shanghai earned him many friends, in 1918 he being gazetted Assistant Commissioner of Police when he was asked to raise the Specials which unit he commanded until the end of 1922. He was an Honorary Life Asssistant Commissioner of the S.M.P., this rank having been bestowed upon him for valued services to the Settlement. For four years he served as Commissaire Foncier, French Municipal Council.

He was decorated by the Peking Government for drawing the terms of the First Domestic Loan in 1918 and for serving as Embarkation Officer during the repatriation of the Austrian and German subjects in 1921. He also received a decoration from the Shanghai Municipal Council for "distinguished and valuable services" in 1933.

He died at his home, Happihouse Great Western Road, and was taken by a cortege made up of a large number of mourners, Shanghai Municipal Police, Police Specials, regular Municipal Police and high officials to the cemetry at Bubbling Well.

Inside the cemetry the cortege, through the courtesy of Lt Col Wolfe-Murray of the Seaforth Highlanders, was escorted to the chapel by a Seaforth Highlander piper. 

A gallant man of outstanding courage, D'Arcy Anderson (as he was known by his friends) had the happy faculty of making friends and keeping them. With his fresh complexion, clear blue eyes and closely cut, pointed white beard, D'Arcy seemed a figure drawn out of the more romantic days.  

(1). Having researched this and found that Anderson Lake in BC was named after Alexander Caufield Anderson and D'Arcy the town after D'Arcy Tate V.P. of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, I wonder who wrote the Obit and where the information came from! (footnote added by TCD'A Anderson)

 He was 5ft 61/2" and had a tattoo of a snake on his right arm.