OBITUARY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 84, 6 October 1938, Page 10

OBITUARY

COL. D. COLQUHOUN

DISTINGUISHED WAR RECORD

Lieutenant-Colonel Douglas Colquhoun, D.5.0., V.D., who has resided at Lower Hutt for about ten years, died yesterday after a very brief illness.

. Colonel Colquhoun was born at Tapanui, Southland, in 1879, and was educated at the Tapanui District High School. He entered business as a general merchant at Tapanui, but was always keenly interested in defence matters and was active in the Tapanui Rifles. He served as a non-commis-sioned officer and later secured his commission as a lieutenant. He rose to the rank of captain in the South Otago Regiment of Territorials and went overseas with the second rein-.

forcement to the Otago Regiment. He was on Gallipoli, where he was wounded in August, 1915. He later served with his regiment in France and was promoted major in 1916 and lieutenant-colonel in 1917. He was mentioned in Sir Douglas Haig's dispatches in June, 1916, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in October, 1917, for conspicuous gallantry at Fasschendaele, where he had command of a battalion of the 4th Brigade, and was again mentioned in dispatches in December, 1917. When the 4th Brigade was disbanded to rebuild the other three brigades, Colonel Colquhoun took command of the 3rd Otago Regiment and remained in that command until the end of the war, having over four years of active service to his credit. He received the Volunteer Decoration for long service with the Forces.

Colonel Colquhoun joined the Government service in 1920 as investigating accountant to the Board of Trade at Dunedin. He took charge of the industries branch of the Department of Industries and Commerce at Christchurch in 1923 and became advisory accountant to the Department at Wellington in 1929. He retired from the service some years ago to join Pacific Steel and was still working on the development of the iron and steel industry at the time of his death. His interest in military matters continued after he was posted to the reserve and he was an active member of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Defence League. For some years he had been an enthusiastic member of the Wellington' Bowling Club. Colonel Colquhoun married Miss Jessie Potts, of Tapanui, and she survives him. There are two children, Mr. Douglas Colquhoun, of the Forestry Department, Hanmer, and Mrs. Birss, also of Hanmer. Colonel Colquhoun is also survived by three brothers and one sister, Mr. N. H. Colquhoun, secretary of the Oamaru R.S.A., Mr. H. Colquhoun, headmaster of the St. Clair School, Dunedin, Mr. J. A. Colquhoun, of the Boys' High School, Palmerston North, and Mrs. T. W. McDonald, of Auckland. The funeral will take place at the Soldiers' Cemetery, Karori, at 2 p.m. tomorrow.