John King Davis

For other people with similar names, see John Davis (disambiguation).

John King Davis
CBE
Born(1884-02-19)19 February 1884
Kew, Surrey, England
Died8 May 1967(1967-05-08) (aged 83)
Toorak, Victoria, Australia
Resting placeMelbourne General Cemetery
Other namesGloomy
Known forCaptain of SY Aurora

John King Davis CBE (19 February 1884 – 8 May 1967) was an English-born Australian explorer and navigator notable for his work captaining exploration ships in Antarctic waters as well as for establishing meteorological stations on Macquarie Island in the subantarctic and on Willis Island in the Coral Sea.

Early life and education

John King Davis was born in Kew, Surrey, England, on 19 February 1884. He was the only son of James Green Davis, army coach, and his wife Marion Alice, née King.[1]

Davis was educated at Colet Court, London, and Burford Grammar School, Oxfordshire. In 1900 he and his father left London for Cape Town, South Africa.[1] When his father was absent on a visit to Kimberley, Davis ran away to join the crew of the mail-steamer Carisbrooke Castle, working as a steward's boy.[1] Also in 1900, Davis signed indentures to serve for four years in the Merchant Navy and by 16 July 1905 he had passed the Board of Trade examination for the certificate of second mate.[1]

Career

Davis served as chief officer of the Nimrod during Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expedition in 1908–1909. He was captain of the Aurora and second in command of Douglas Mawson's Australasian Antarctic expedition in 1911–1914.[2]

At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, Davis volunteered for active service, and was put in charge of the troop transport HMAT Boonah, carrying troops and horses to Egypt and England.[3]

He also served as Captain of the Discovery in 1929–1930 in the course of the British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition.

Davis was Australia's Commonwealth Director of Navigation from 1920 to 1949. It was at the beginning of this period that he volunteered to personally set up the remote Willis Island meteorological and cyclone warning station in 1921–22.[4] He was a contributor of articles to Walkabout.[5]

Other activities

Davis was president of the Royal Society of Victoria 1945–1946.[6]

Personal life and death

Davis served as best man to Douglas Mawson at his wedding to Paquita Mawson in Melbourne in March 1914.[7]

Known in his lifetime as a "free thinker and plain speaker" and a "deepwater sailorman of the old school",[8] Davis remained a lifelong bachelor.[8]

He died on 8 May 1967 in Toorak, Victoria, aged 83.[1] He was buried in an unmarked grave at Melbourne General Cemetery. In 2026, the ANARE Club helped sponsor a marker and plaque at Davis's grave.[9]

Recognition, honours, and legacy

Davis was named a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 1915,[6] winning their Murchison Award in the same year.[6]

Davis Station in Antarctica was established in 1957 and is named after John King Davis,[10] as is the Davis Sea, located off the Antarctic coast between longitudes 82°E and 96°E.[11]

He was awarded the Polar Medal multiple times:[6] in 1909[12] (Bronze clasp);[6] 1915 (Silver clasp), 1917 (Bronze clasp), and 1934 (Bronze clasp).[6] In 1964 he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.[13]

Bibliography

Books authored by Davis include:

  • (1919) With the Aurora in the Antarctic. Andrew Melrose: London
  • (1921) Willis Island: a storm-warning station in the Coral Sea Critchley Parker: Melbourne.
  • (1962) High Latitude (autobiography written in collaboration with Bedford Osborne) Melbourne University Press: Parkville, Victoria.
  • (1997) Trial by Ice. The Antarctic Journals of John King Davis (Edited by Louise Crossley) Bluntisham Books and Erskine Press: Bluntisham and Norwich (ISBN 1-85297-047-2)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Béchervaise, John. "Davis, John King (1884–1967)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
  2. ^ "Bright Sparcs entry on John King Davis". Bright Sparcs. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
  3. ^ "Captain John King Davis". Australian Antarctic Division. Archived from the original on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
  4. ^ Fletcher, P. (1996). "Seventy-Five Years at Willis Island. Metarch Papers, No. 9, December 1996. Bureau of Meteorology: Australia". Retrieved 16 September 2008.
  5. ^ Holmes, Charles (1 November 195). "How Walkabout Began". Walkabout. 25 (11): 9.
  6. ^ a b c d e f McCarthy, Gavan; Cohn, Helen (6 October 2023). "Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation". Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation. Retrieved 28 September 2025. Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 6 October 2023
  7. ^ Edwards, Ian (April–May 2005). "Sir Douglas Mawson" (PDF). Glebe Society Bulletin. Who Lived in Your Street? (3): 10-12. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  8. ^ a b Tyler-Lewis, Kelly (2007). The Lost Men: The Harrowing Saga of Shackleton's Ross Sea Party (Kindle ed.). Penguin Books. p. 4994. ISBN 978-0747579724.
  9. ^ Gibson, Jane (18 February 2026). "Antarctic pioneer John King Davis's grave was unmarked - until now". ABC News. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  10. ^ https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/history/people/john-king-davis/
  11. ^ "U.S. Board on Geographic Names | U.S. Geological Survey".
  12. ^ "Capt John King DAVIS: Polar Medal". Australian Honours Search Facility. Australian Government. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  13. ^ "Capt John King DAVIS: The Order of the British Empire - Commander (Civil)". Australian Honours Search Facility. Australian Government. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  • Media related to John King Davis at Wikimedia Commons
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