William Darling

Sir William Young Darling CBE FRSE LLD MC (8 May 1885 – 4 February 1962) was the Unionist Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons for the Edinburgh South constituency from 1945 to 1957. He was a director of the Royal Bank of Scotland from 1942 to 1957. Life He was born in Carlisle, the second son of William Darling of Edinburgh. He was educated firstly at James Gillespie's School then Daniel Stewart's College and Heriot-Watt College. The University of Edinburgh later awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD). In the First World War he joined the Black Watch as a private in 1914 and then after receiving a commission he joined the Royal Scots in 1915 as a 2nd Lieutenant. He saw much action and was wounded five times. He was awarded the Military Cross with bar and was Mentioned in Dispatches. From 1920 to 1922 he served in Ireland during the Irish War of Independence. During this period, together with Hugh Pollard (1888–1966), he jointly printed the Weekly Summary: a synopsis of the war from a British perspective. On leaving the army he became Director of the family drapers firm.