Showing 240 results

John W. Burdin, born 5th November 1934 in Doncaster, studied at Kings College London from 1953-1956, and graduated with an Honours degree in Zoology, also receiving the Jelf Medal for the Science faculty. He continued his studies at Leeds University 1956-1957, receiving a Diploma in Education. Burdin taught biology at Temple Moor Grammar School, Leeds from 1957-1962 before moving to Glasgow to lecture at Jordanhill College of Education in 1963 and 1964. In 1965, Burdin became HM Inspector for Schools (Scotland) and stayed in this post for 30 years, retiring in Dec 1994. Due to his outstanding commitment to Guidance, he was made Honorary President of the Scottish Guidance Association

He also had a keen interest in hillwalking and was president of the Grampian club and in 1983 founded the Dundee Mountain Film Festival. He also played cricket for Grove FPs. He died in 2022 at the age of 87.

Born in 1927 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, John Berridge was educated at Luton Grammar School. On leaving school he spent some time as an officer in the Ghurkas then as a forester and lab technician.

He completed a teacher training course in Winchester but after two years teaching, opted to study for a degree. Studying logic, English and philosophy at Birkbeck College, Berridge became involved in student politics, winning the presidency of the London University Union. He was then encouraged to begin a degree in politics and international relations at the London School of Economics, where he won the Beveridge Trophy for political debating.

After graduating, he taught first at Kingston College then moved to Dundee University where he specialised in international organisations, particularly the European Union. As Senior Lecturer, Berridge retired after 31 years in 1995, but retained his links with the University as honorary lecturer in contemporary European studies until 2006.

Berridge served in Ted Heath's shadow cabinet, sitting on the policy committee for Scottish devolution and was asked to write the Conservative party's draft devolution paper. Berridge himself was against completely devolved power for Scotland.

John Berridge married Margaret in 1960. They had two sons, Jonathan and Tim. In later years, he suffered from multiple sclerosis which curbed his enthusiasm for his pursuits of hillwalking, fishing, painting and birdwatching. Berridge also served as Justice of the Peace, and was active in the Association of University Teachers. He also relished political debate and termed himself a 'Tory Marxist'. Berridge died in Dundee 10 June 2010.
Source: John Berridge obituary, 'The Scotsman', p41, Friday 18 June 2010

Jim Smith was born in Saltcoats and educated at Ardrossan Academy. He studied Zoology at University of Dundee 1969-1972. He went on to complete his PhD at Dundee in Freshwater Ecology.

Jim was the President of the Sport Union for two years and met his wife Catherine, the first female Sports President. They married and had two children. Jim died in October 2022.

Taken from a piece written by Alan Veitch of the Scottish Hockey Heritage Group.
Jim Shepherd, Mr Hockey from Broughty Ferry, Dundee: player, umpire, administrator, journalist, broadcaster and hockey collector. These are just a few of the titles which describe a man involved with hockey for over 60 years. Jim’s first taste of hockey was in 1954 at the Boys Brigade International Camp at Eton College, but it was in 1958 that his hockey journey really began. Jim was working in the Drawing Office of Bonar Long & Co. in Dundee when a work colleague began trying to recruit hockey players. Jim agreed to go along to practise and was soon playing his first match for Dundee Wanderers Hockey Club (DWHC) against HMS Condor at Arbroath. Jim describes himself as a “hockey enthusiast” – he played for Dundee Wanderers 1st XI, then their 2nd XI when they started one, then their 3rd XI when they started one. After his playing days drew to a close, he joined the umpiring ranks.

Jim’s administrative skills were soon captured by his club. He assumed the roles of DWHC Secretary, Match Secretary and Treasurer at various stages, all in the era of postcards and telephone calls. Club administration was obviously not enough to sustain Jim, and he was soon involved in the Midlands District and then Scottish Hockey committees.

For almost 40 years up till around 2018, Jim almost single-handedly ran the Midlands Men's Indoor Leagues, creating all the fixture lists, setting the pitch times to ensure every team had a worthwhile slate of matches on the days they were to play, running the technical table, arranging umpires and generally making it a smoothly oiled machine.

Around 1980, via his friend Scott Smith of Grove Academy Former Players (another Dundee hockey club), Jim got involved in match reporting for the Dundee Evening Telegraph, covering both Midlands and Scottish Hockey. The newspaper provided very good coverage of hockey at least twice weekly for 40 years. Jim was very meticulous to ensure all scores and local hockey points of interest were published. Again, he didn’t stop there. Local broadcaster Radio Tay invited him to do a weekly summary. Another of Jim’s interests is photography and the camera was always at his side for hockey matches. Many of his photos appeared in both the Dundee Evening Telegraph and Dundee Courier. Clearly, Jim’s training as a draughtsman wasn’t wasted at home as he started to draw together an amazing hockey collection, all filed in chronological order. Many of us can relate to being ‘hoarders’; Jim was more than that – a full-on hockey collector. His study at home along with his loft and cupboards capture 40 years of hockey material. There is no Scottish Hockey Museum in place (yet), but Jim’s house is as good a starting point as any!

Among some of the historical gems are weekly hockey press cuttings from all Scottish newspapers (all marked with dates), international hockey team lists, match programmes, hockey posters and photographs, hockey books, and those Radio Tay broadcasts are all stored on cassette tape. As Jim says, he has material that no one else will have.

Looking back on his hockey career, Jim recalls DWHC’s first Scottish Cup win in 1973 and their subsequent journey into Europe as a particular highlight. He has enjoyed, too, seeing his son Gordon carry on the family hockey tradition at DWHC. “He was better than me”, says Jim – Gordon went on to win many Scotland caps, playing both outdoor and indoor. He then followed the coaching path going onto to be Head Coach of the Scotland women’s side until recently.
Jim is a truly amazing servant of Scottish hockey.
https://www.hockeymuseum.net/index.php/newsitems/news-2023/137-news/n-2022/640-jim-shepherd-collection-genesis

James Walter Stewart Carmichael [known as Hamish], is the great-great-grandson of James Carmichael and the great-great-great-grandson of Charles Carmichael and has done extensive research into them and their family.

James Carmichael and his brother Charles (1782-1843) are widely regarded as pioneers of the engineering profession in Dundee. They were the sons of George Carmichael, a partner in the Glasgow Arms Bank, and who may have been a Glasite.
On their father's death they moved with their mother from Glasgow to Midlothian where James became apprenticed as a millwright to his maternal uncle. James then moved to work in a spinning works in Glasgow, while Charles, after an apprenticeship as an engineer, came to work in Dundee in 1805 entering into partnership with a Mr Taylor.
When Charles' partnership expired in 1810, James was persuaded to join him and together they established the engineering business, J & C Carmichael, in Dundee. The company would last for over a century and among many achievements produced early railway locomotives, the first steam engines for the Tay Ferry and developed and manufactured mill machinery.
James Carmichael was widely recognised as one of Scotland's leading engineers of the period and is commemorated by a statue in Dundee's Albert Square.
The Carmichaels were related to some other prominent figures in Dundee industry: James Carmichael's daughter Clementina married James Cox, Provost of Dundee, and head of Cox Brothers, while his daughter Margaret married Peter Carmichael of Arthurstone, a noted engineer and the managing director of Baxter Brothers. It is also possible that the James Carmichael was a direct descendent of John Carmichael, 1st Earl of Hyndford and potentially had a claim to succeed to the earldom on the death of the 6th Earl in 1817 which he chose not pursue.

James Ernest Cox was the eldest son of Ada Mary Cox and Edward Cox of Cardean and Drumkilbo, Meigle. Educated at a preparatory school and at Uppingham, he then studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A.

In 1899 he joined the firm of Messrs Cox Brothers. He became a leading authority in jute and in 1920, when Jute Industries Ltd acquired companies in the city, including Cox Brothers Ltd, he was chairman of the firm. From 1920 until 1948 he was a chairman of Jute Industries Ltd and its subsidiary companies and was a prominent figure in the business and commercial world. Following the death of his father In 1913 he joined the Board of the First, Second and Third Scottish-American Trust Company and the Northern American Trust Company. Later he became chairman of the companies and held these positions, along with that of chairman of the Camperdown Trust Company Ltd, until his resignation in 1947. He was a member of the local board of the Northern Assurance Company Ltd, and an extra-ordinary director of the Scottish Widows' Fund and Life Assurance Society. In 1919 he became president of the Chamber of Commerce and for many years he was a prominent member of the Association of Jute Spinners and Manufacturers.

In 1906 he became a member of the Council of University College, Dundee. Later he was appointed convener of the finance committee and in 1926 was appointed chairman of the council. In 1931 his services to the university were recognised when he received the honorary degree of LL.D. in 1931. He resigned from the chairmanship in 1939, and three years later was elected president of the College, a position he held for until 1946.

In 1934 he was appointed by the Scottish Secretary to the Committee on Scottish Health Services, established to review the entire national health policy and organisation in Scotland. JE Cox served for six years as a director of Dundee Royal Infirmary and wad also vice-president of the Royal Victoria Hospital. He was a General Commissioner of Income Tax for the Division of Dundee.

Dr Cox lived at Lyndhurst, Lochee prior to purchasing Methven Castle in 1922. The estate, of almost 1000 acres, comprised the mansion-house; policies and woodland; the home farm; and the farms of Easter Busby, Loanleven, and Easter, Middle and Wester Powside. He had an interest in agriculture, particularly pig breeding and won prizes at many shows, including several at the Royal Highland Show. He was also president of Methven Curling Club. While resident in Dundee Dr Cox was identified with St Margaret's Episcopal Church but after the purchase of Methven, he was prominently associated with St Ninian's Cathedral, Perth, being treasurer of the Diocese of Brechin for 25 years.

He married Agnes Jane Tod in 1904. His wife, three sons, Commander David E. Cox, Michael George Cox and Douglas Hunter Cox and a daughter, Margot Cox, survived him. His first born son, Edward James Cox, had been killed in a motorcycle accident in 1925. A daughter Kathleen Mary Cox was born and died in 1911.