Haddon Donald

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Haddon Donald

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|size=100%|sep=,|DSO|MC|ED}}

| image = File:Haddon Donald, 1951.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption =

| constituency_MP1 = Wairarapa

| parliament1 = New Zealand

| majority1 =

| predecessor1 = Bert Cooksley

| successor1 = Jack Williams

| term_start1 = 1963

| term_end1 = 1969

| birth_name = Haddon Vivian Donald

| birth_date = {{birth date|1917|03|20|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Masterton, New Zealand

| death_date = {{death date and age|2018|4|23|1917|3|20|df=y}}

| death_place = Masterton, New Zealand

| spouse = {{marriage|Ana Alice Beetham|1947|2014|end=d.}}

| party = National

| relations = {{nowrap|Charlie Mills (great-grandfather)}}{{cite news | url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/8535763/Our-oldest-MP-returns-to-Parliament | title=Our oldest MP returns to Parliament | date=11 April 2013 | work=The Dominion Post | access-date=29 January 2017 | first=Liam | last=Hyslop}}

| children = 4

| residence =

| alma_mater =

| occupation =

| profession =

| religion =

| signature =

| website =

| footnotes =

| allegiance = New Zealand

| branch = New Zealand Army

| serviceyears =

| rank = Lieutenant colonel

| unit =

| commands = 22nd Battalion

| battles =

| mawards = Distinguished Service Order
Military Cross
Mentioned in Despatches
Efficiency Decoration
Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States)

}}

Haddon Vivian Donald, {{post-nominals|country=NZL|size=100%|sep=,|DSO|MC|ED}} (20 March 1917 – 23 April 2018) was a New Zealand soldier, businessman and politician of the National Party. He was the oldest living former New Zealand Member of Parliament, and at the time of his death, was the highest-ranking New Zealand army officer of World War II living. During the war, Donald served as an officer for the 22nd Battalion rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. After his military service, Donald represented Wairarapa in the parliament from 1963 to 1969.

Early life

Donald was born in 1917 at Masterton,{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=308}} the son of Vivian Everard Donald and Gertrude Blanche Donald (née Mills). He was educated at Nelson College from 1930 to 1932,{{cite book | chapter=Full school list of Nelson College, 1856–2005 | title=Nelson College Old Boys' Register, 1856–2006 | year=2006 | edition=6th | type=CD-ROM}} and afterwards at Wairarapa College.{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=308}}

Military life

He joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in 1939.{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=308}} During the Second World War he was an officer in the 22nd Battalion, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. The history group of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage has an interview with Haddon on its website where he describes the events at the Maleme airfield as part of the Battle of Crete.{{cite web |title=Haddon Donald describes defending Maleme airfield, Crete |url=http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/sound/donald-haddon-interview |publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage|access-date=18 June 2015}} Donald was awarded the Military Cross in 1942,{{London Gazette |issue=35492 |date=19 March 1942 |page=1261 |supp=y }} and the Distinguished Service Order in 1945. In 1947 he was made an Officer of the Legion of Merit by the United States.{{London Gazette |issue=37909 |date=20 March 1947 |page=1316 |supp=y }} He was twice mentioned in dispatches, in 1941 and 1942.{{sfn|Taylor|Coddington|1994|p=123}} Donald later wrote about his experiences soldiering in Greece, Crete and Egypt in the book In Peace and War: A Civilian Soldier's Story, published in 2005.{{sfn|Donald|2005}}

Political career

On his return from the war, he was a manufacturer based in the Wairarapa.{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=308}} He represented the Wairarapa electorate from 1963 in succession to Bert Cooksley, who retired after five terms.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|pp=190, 193}} Donald held the electorate until 1969, when he was defeated by Labour's Jack Williams.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|pp=193, 245}} He lost the election by 467 votes.{{cite web|url=https://times-age.co.nz/old-soldier-turns-100/|title=Old soldier turns 100|publisher=Times|date=24 May 2017|access-date=24 April 2018}}

Donald worked for his family firm of Donald Presses Ltd for 50 years, and was chairman of the company from 1970 to 1986. He captained the New Zealand rifle team on five occasions. Donald lived in Taupō.{{cite news|last1=Donoghue|first1=Tim|title=Officer breaks rank over the Battle of Crete|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5003149/Officer-breaks-rank-over-the-Battle-of-Crete|access-date=27 November 2015|work=The Dominion Post|date=14 May 2011}} In April 2013, Donald at 96 years old, visited the parliament for discussions with Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman and Speaker David Carter.

{{NZ parlbox

|start = {{NZ election link year|1963}}

|end = 1966

|term = 34th

|electorate = {{NZ electorate link|Wairarapa}}

|party = New Zealand National Party

}}

{{NZ parlbox

|start = {{NZ election link year|1966}}

|end = 1969

|term = 35th

|electorate = Wairarapa

|party = New Zealand National Party

}}

Personal life

Donald was married to Ana Beetham from 1947 until she died in May 2014, aged 90; she was buried in Masterton.{{sfn|Taylor|Coddington|1994|p=123}}{{cite news|last1=Crombie|first1=Nathan|title=Kiwi heroes of Crete remembered|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/wairarapa-times-age/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503414&objectid=11258562|access-date=17 June 2015|work=Wairarapa Times-Age|date=21 May 2014}} The couple had four children and 14 grandchildren. Donald turned 100 in March 2017 and died on 23 April 2018 in Masterton, at the age of 101.{{cite news|title=Haddon DONALD|url=http://deaths.dompost.co.nz/obituaries/dominion-post-nz/obituary.aspx?n=haddon-donald&pid=188830929|access-date=25 April 2018|work=The Dominion Post|date=25 April 2018}}

Honours and awards

Donald was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross, Efficiency Decoration, and made an Officer of the Legion of Merit. In 1990, he was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.{{sfn|Taylor|Coddington|1994|p=123}} In May 2017, Donald received a telegram from Queen Elizabeth II commemorating his 100th birthday.

Bibliography

{{cite book|last1=Donald|first1=Haddon|title=In Peace and War: A Civilian Soldier's Story|date=2005|publisher=Fraser Books|location=Masterton|isbn=0958252165|url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-HadInPe.html|via=New Zealand Electronic Text Centre|access-date=17 June 2015|ref=none}}

References

= Citations =

= Sources =

; Books

{{cite book |last=Donald |first=Haddon |title=In Peace and War: A Civilian Soldier's Story |url = http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-HadInPe.html |year=2005 |publisher=Fraser Books |location=Masterton |isbn = 0-9582521-6-5}}
{{cite book |last = Gustafson |first = Barry | author-link=Barry Gustafson |title = The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party |year = 1986 |publisher = Reed Methuen |location = Auckland |isbn = 0-474-00177-6}}
{{cite book |last=Taylor |first=Alister |last2=Coddington |first2=Deborah |author-link1=Alister Taylor |author-link2=Deborah Coddington |title=Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand |year=1994 |publisher=New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa |location=Auckland |isbn=0-908578-34-2}}
{{cite book |last= Wilson |first= James Oakley |title= New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4 |orig-year= First ed. published 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher=V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc= 154283103}}

External links

{{cite web |url=http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/meda/sound/donald-haddon-interview |title=Haddon Donald describes defending Maleme airfield, Crete |date=15 July 2013 |work=New Zealand History online |publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage}}
{{cite web |url = https://times-age.co.nz/old-soldier-turns-100/ | work = Wairarapa Times Age | title = Old soldier turns 100 | date = 24 March 2017 | access-date = 25 April 2018}}

{{s-ttl | title=Member of Parliament for Wairarapa| years=1963–1969}}

Category:1917 births

Category:2018 deaths

Category:New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order

Category:New Zealand Army officers

Category:New Zealand businesspeople

Category:New Zealand men centenarians

Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives

Category:New Zealand military personnel of World War II

Category:New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates

Category:New Zealand National Party MPs

Category:Officers of the Legion of Merit

Category:People educated at Nelson College

Category:People educated at Wairarapa College

Category:People from Masterton

Category:New Zealand recipients of the Military Cross

Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1969 New Zealand general election