Sir Dingwall Latham Bateson, (7 July 1898 – 29 January 1967) was a British solicitor and President of the Law Society.

Personal life

Bateson was born on 7 July 1898 in Kensington, London. He was the son of judge Sir Alexander Dingwall Bateson and Isabel Mary, the fourth daughter of William Latham QC. He had three brothers and two sisters. In 1922, he married Naomi Judith, eldest daughter of composer Sir

Walter Galpin Alcock Sir Walter Galpin Alcock (29 December 186111 September 1947) was an English organist and composer. He held a number of prominent positions as an organist and played at the coronations of three monarchs. He was professor of organ in the Royal Co ...

. They had two sons and one daughter. One son, Timothy, became an actor. Bateson advised Noël Coward on financial affairs; Coward, in gratitude, named his speedboat "Dingo" after Bateson. Bateson was also friends with Sir Roland Gwynne, Mayor of

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...

1928-1931 and purported lover of serial killer Dr John Bodkin Adams: he left Bateson his whole estate in his will, though in the end Bateson predeceased him.Pamela V. Cullen, "A Stranger in Blood: The Case Files on Dr John Bodkin Adams", London, Elliott & Thompson, 2006, . Page 635

Career

Military service

Bateson served in the King's Royal Rifle Corps,

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. As part of the 1919 King's Birthday Honours, he was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

(MC) whilst a second lieutenant attached to the 2nd Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment "for distinguished service in connection with military operations in the Balkans".

Professional career

Bateson was a solicitor with

Slaughter and May Slaughter and May is an international law firm headquartered in Bunhill Row, London. Founded in 1889, Slaughter and May is considered to be one of the most prestigious law firms in the world and is a member of the " Magic Circle" of elite Londo ...

,http://www.biltongrange.net/do_download.asp?did=27445 and then a partner at Walters & Hart Solicitors. From 1952 to 1953, he was president of the Law Society. He was appointed a

Commander of the 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 ...

(CBE) in the 1946 Birthday Honours. He was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

ed as a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

in the

1953 Coronation Honours The 1953 Coronation Honours were appointments by Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours on the occasion of her coronation on 2 June 1953. The honours were published in '' The London Gazette'' on 1 June 1953.New Zealand list: The re ...

Death

Bateson died in a shooting accident in

Merstham Merstham is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It lies 25 miles south of Charing Cross and 2 miles south of the Greater London border. Part of the North Downs Way runs along the northern boundary of the town. Mers ...

, Surrey, on 29 January 1967 aged 68.

References

1898 births 1967 deaths People from Kensington English solicitors Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Deaths by firearm in England Presidents of the Law Society of England and Wales Knights Bachelor Lawyers awarded knighthoods Recipients of the Military Cross King's Royal Rifle Corps officers Gloucestershire Regiment officers 20th-century English lawyers {{UK-law-bio-stub