David McLeod Craik

United Kingdom

After leaving school at the age of 16, Craik was articled to Bucknall & Jennings of Swansea between 1889 and 1893. Afterwards, he served as assistant to Clarke & Bell and Thomas Lennox Watson in Glasgow and to William Hamilton Beattie in Edinburgh from 1894 until 1896, when he passed his examination as Student RIBA. After that he moved to the office of Robert Graeme Watt and Frederick Henry Tullock in Belfast from which he found employment with John McKean Brydon in 1898, working on the Government Offices Great George Street at Whitehall. Craik remained with him until March 1900, when he passed the qualifying exam and was admitted ARIBA, his proposers being Brydon, Watson and Cole Alfred Adams. Thereafter he became a senior assistant with Edward Augustus Grunning until 1902.^[1][4]

Straits Settlements

Craik obtained a post in 1902 as first architectural assistant to the Singapore municipality in the Straits Settlements. During his time as municipal architect he designed the Jinrikisha Station at Kreta Ayer and the entrance lodge, gate and chapel of the Bidadari Cemetery. He remained in the post for about five years, when he resigned and started his own practice in 1907. In the same year, he had secured the largest job of the period as designer of Alkaff Arcade at Collyer Quay for Alkaff & Co.. Other major buildings by him at that period were the Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church, St. Joseph's Cathedral and the Masonic Hall in Coleman Street.^[1][4][5]

On 1 December 1912 he merged his practice with the Singaporean firm of Swan & Maclaren.^[6] On 12 January 1914 he was admitted FRIBA, then at 26 May of the same year, he took his first ever home leave, but arrived in the UK just a month before World War I was declared. He served in the war as a Royal Engineers officer until he was demobilised in August 1919.^[1][4][5]

Upon his return to the Straits, he was sent to Penang to open a branch office for Swan & Maclaren.^[7][8] On the death of Philip Charles Russell, the firm's partner, the name of the Penang branch was changed to Swan, Maclaren & Craik.^[9] His notable works while in the partnership were Eu Villa in Singapore, Loke Villa and George Town Dispensary in Penang, and the HSBC building in Sungai Petani.^[1][5]

In 1929 Craik ceded from Swan, Maclaren & Craik and subsequently formed a partnership with Osborne Howard Leicester, formerly an architectural assistant with the Penang municipality.^[10] Craik & Leicester took up office at the George Town Chambers, which is a part of the George Town Dispensary building. Works during this period were all in Penang, including The Cenotaph, Lim Lean Teng Mansions and The Windsor.^[1][11] The firm included an assistant architect, Sidney Iverson Knowles, but his services were terminated during the building slump. He was found shot dead on 13 April 1932 and an inquest by a state coroner concluded that Knowles had committed suicide. He left behind three letters, one of them addressed to Craik^[5][12]

Due to the recession, the partnership of Craik & Leicester ceased by 1932, Craik then went solo under the style of Craik, D. McLeod, Chartered Architect, meanwhile Leicester returned to London where he started a private practice. Craik passed away while still in practice in 1938, making him the longest practicing architect in the Straits Settlements before World War II.^[5]

Volunteer service

Craik was one of the original members of the Singapore Royal Engineers (Volunteers) or SRE (V) and designed badges and buttons for that unit in which he served from 1902 to 1921 when the Volunteer force was reconstructed. He retired from SRE (V) with the rank of lieutenant and joined the Volunteer Corps in Penang as a private. He retired from military service altogether in 1925 with the Long Service Medal.^[1][13]

War service

When World War I broke out, Craik reported for duty as lieutenant of the Royal Engineers on 9 September 1914 at Brompton Barracks. He then trained and took the 145th Army Troops Company, R.E. to France in September 1915 and commanded the company until he was badly wounded at the end of November 1917, losing 2 fingers of his right hand in the process. After leaving hospital he took up command of the 566th Wiltshire Territorial Company, R.E. at Worgret Camp, Wareham until after the Armistice. He retired with the rank of Captain, R.E. and was demobilised in August 1919 in Singapore.^[1][14]

Family

Craik married Grace Black, a nurse and veteran of the South African War, at St. George's Church on 12 December 1908.^[3] They had four children: three daughters and a son. Their second daughter, Catherine McLeod Craik, died at the age of 7½ months while she was at sea en route from Penang to Singapore on 26 August 1911.^[15][16] She was memorialised by a stained glass depicting St. Catherine of Alexandria at St. Joseph's Cathedral.^[17]

On 20 May 1938 Grace died after a long illness at a nursing home in London.^[18] Their only son, Donald McLeod RAF VR ARIBA, was killed in action during World War II on 24 March 1942.^[19]

Death

Before his death, Craik had not been in the best of his health for about a month. Some days later he developed a chill and then was admitted to the General Hospital. He died at the hospital on 1 August 1938, at the age of 65. His funeral and burial was commenced at the Western Road Cemetery in Penang.^[15]