David Alastair Pearson Anderson, 2nd Viscount Waverley (18 February 1911 – 21 February 1990) was a British peer and physician. He trained as a physician in Germany and England, served in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, and then specialised as a

cardiologist Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular ...

. Having succeeded his father as Viscount Waverley in 1958, he also sat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

where he regularly spoke on health matters and other interests of his.

Early life and education

The son of John Anderson, later 1st Viscount Waverley, he was educated at Malvern College. He studied medicine at Goethe University Frankfurt and Pembroke College, Cambridge, graduating with Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB, BChir) degrees in 1937. He completed his clinical training at St Thomas's Hospital Medical School in London.

Career

From 1938 to 1939, Anderson was a

junior doctor In the United Kingdom, junior doctors are qualified medical practitioners working whilst engaged in postgraduate training. The period of being a junior doctor starts when they qualify as a medical practitioner following graduation with a Bachelor o ...

at St Thomas' Hospital, London. With the outbreak of the

, he volunteered and joined the medical branch of the

. He was commissioned on 25 September 1939 in the rank of flying officer. He was one of the few doctors in the RAF that were also trained as pilots. He was promoted to flight lieutenant on 25 September 1940, and to

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

( temporary) on 1 July 1943. He was demobilized after the end of the War in 1945, and he relinquished his commission in 1956 having reached the age of 45 (at which point he was no longer obliged to remain in the reserves). After the war, he returned to St Thomas' Hospital, and developed an interest in

cardiology Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular h ...

. In 1951, he moved to the Reading Group of Hospitals where he worked as a consultant at the

Royal Berkshire Hospital The Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) is a large NHS hospital in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It provides acute hospital services to the residents of the western and central portions of Berkshire, and is managed by the R ...

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

. He developed his own teaching unit at the hospital, and also published a number of papers on cardiac and vascular disorders. He retired in 1976. Anderson succeeded his father as Viscount Waverley upon the latter's death on 4 January 1958. He first sat in the

on 20 May 1958, and made his

maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...

on 19 November 1959 during a debate about the hospital service.

Personal life

On 13 November 1948, Anderson married Lorna Myrtle Ann Ledgerwood (1925–2013). Together they had three children: one son and two daughters. Their son, John Anderson, succeeded to his father's title as the 3rd Viscount Waverley.

Arms

References

External links

''Hansard'' records of speeches in the House of Lords
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waverley, David Anderson, 2nd Viscount 1911 births 1990 deaths British cardiologists Royal Air Force Medical Service officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Viscounts in the Peerage of the United Kingdom People educated at Malvern College Goethe University Frankfurt alumni Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Viscounts Waverley