Lt. Col. John Irvine Davidson in full dress uniform. The personal uniform of Davidson shown in this image is on display in the 48th Highlanders Museum.

Lieutenant-Colonel John Irvine Davidson was gazetted (provisionally) the first Commanding Officer on 20 November 1891 and formally confirmed 25 March 1892. In the military he began as a private in Scotland, serving a total of  five years in the 7th Aberdeenshire Volunteers, the London Scottish and the Uxbridge Yeomanry. In Toronto, he was an officer for six years in the 10th Royal Grenadiers, rising to Captain. He served on the Board of Managers of St. Andrew’s Church, including six years as chairman. The 48th Highlanders appointed him Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel upon his retirement in 1898, a position he held until his death in 1910.