David Kinnear Thomson (26 March 1910 – 27 December 1992) was the chairman and president of

Peter Thomson (Perth) Limited Peter Thomson (Perth) Limited was a Perth, Scotland-based whisky blender and wine merchants established in 1908. The company was known for producing Beneagles blended Scotch whisky. In 1983 the firm was bought by Sir Reo Stakis to complement the ...

, whisky blenders and exporters based in

Perth, Scotland Perth (Scottish English, locally: ; gd, Peairt ) is a city in central Scotland, on the banks of the River Tay. It is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire. It had a population o ...

. He served as Lord Provost of Perth from 1966 to 1972 and chairman of Tayside Health Board from 1973 to 1977.

Early life

David Thomson was born in Perth the son of Peter Thomson, whisky blender and Jessie Kinnear. He was educated at

Perth Academy Perth Academy is a state comprehensive secondary school in Perth, Scotland. It was founded in 1696. The institution is a non-denominational one. The school occupies ground on the side of a hill in the Viewlands area of Perth, and is within the Pe ...

and

Strathallan School Strathallan School is an independent boarding and day school in Scotland for boys and girls aged 7–18. The school has a campus at Forgandenny, a few miles south of Perth. School roll The school has 73 full-time staff, and 18 part-time staff ...

in Scotland.

Career

On the death of his father, Peter Thomson in 1939, David Thomson became the chairman of Peter Thomson (Perth) Limited. The company was known for its blend of Scotch whisky called Beneagles. He served as a major with the

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and dom ...

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 opposin ...

and was held as a

Prisoner of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

. On his return, Thomson, was awarded a Territorial Decoration and appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire. In 1949 he became a member of Perth Local Authority a position he held until 1972. Thomson was appointed a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

serving Perth and Kinross in 1955. From 1966 to 1972 he served as the Lord Provost of Perth, a Deputy Lieutenant and appointed an honorary sheriff. In 1972 he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. From 1972 to 1976 Thomson was a director of the Scottish Transport Group and between 1973 and 1981 a director of Scottish Opera. He was chairman of the Perth Festival of the Arts from 1973 to 1985. Between 1973 and 1977 he was chairman of Tayside Health Board. Thomson was also a member of the court at the University of Dundee from 1975 to 1979 and chairman of the Scottish Licence Trade between 1981 and 1982. In 1982 he was appointed a Freeman of Perth and Kinross District and in 1984 a Commander of the Order of Saint John.

Honours and awards

Territorial Decoration __NOTOC__ The Territorial Decoration (TD) was a military medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army. This award superseded the Volunteer Officer's Decoration when the Te ...

, 1945. * On 9 October 1945 Thomson was appointed as a

Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

* Deputy Lieutenant, 1966–1972. * In the 1972 New Year Honours list Thomson was appointed as a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. * In August 1972 Thomson was appointed as an Officer of The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem * Freeman, Perth and Kinross District, 1982. * In 1984 Thomson was appointed as a Commander of The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem

References

External links

National Archives - Perth and Kinross Council Archive - Peter Thomson (Perth) Ltd, whisky merchants
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, David Kinnear 1910 births 1992 deaths People educated at Perth Academy People educated at Strathallan School 20th-century Scottish businesspeople People from Perthshire Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Officers of the Order of St John Commanders of the Order of St John Deputy Lieutenants of Perthshire Royal Army Service Corps officers British Army personnel of World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Germany British World War II prisoners of war