Number 26 Winter 2015 Celebrating 150 years of the Glasgow Academical Club Editorial Contents It’s good to celebrate anniversaries. They help us to remember – and they encourage 3 Opening of the Saunders Centre us to put things in perspective. 4 Their first 100 years Take the Glasgow Academical Club, for example. It’s 150 years since a group of young men asked permission to use the school gym for sport – and a club that has 5 A special honour for an spurred many on to feats of great sporting success was born. You can read about how exceptional Academical members of the Club have been celebrating that anniversary on pages 13 to 16. 6 Anecdotage But the comradeship of joint sporting endeavour also found its expression in another way as, in 1914, young men encouraged one another to enlist in what was to prove 10 Favourite teachers remembered a far bigger – and far more deadly – contest. In a simple but poignant ceremony in June of this year members of the Academical Club remembered the events of a 13 Academical Club century ago when no fewer than four members of the same team were killed in a 18 Westbourne Section single battle at Gully Ravine in Gallipoli. You can read more about ‘Our Longest Day’ on page 17. 20 An enduring friendship While we commemorate those brave men who have fallen, we don’t forget to 22 Events and reunions celebrate an equally brave Academical who survived against the odds. Iain G Neilson’s bravery is more than evident on page 5 in the almost matter-of-fact way 23 Updates he recounts his part in the fight against Nazi Germany. He thoroughly deserves his appointment, by the President of France, to the rank of Chevalier in the National 26 Announcements Order of the Legion of Honour. 28 Obituaries In this edition we also celebrate a couple of important milestones as we mark the 100th birthday of two Academicals – Perry Harrison and Hasie Young. I count 30 Picture Post myself fortunate in that I regularly meet both of these remarkable gentlemen at the annual Gasbags lunch at New Anniesland. We warmly Do we have your e-mail address? congratulate them both. It’s how we communicate best! It would be wrong to finish without mentioning another Keeping in touch remarkable Academical The External Relations office is situated whom I first got to know as in Colebrooke Terrace. Former pupils are he was approaching his 100th always welcome to pop in for a chat and look birthday. Frank Saunders did round the school. Just give us a call to arrange not make a will until he was a time. Our address is Colebrooke Terrace, 106 years of age – much to Glasgow G12 8HE and you can contact us on the frustration of his lawyer! 0141 342 5494 or at [email protected] – perhaps because he was looking for a worthy project The Glasgow Academical Club in which to ‘invest’ his life 21 Helensburgh Drive, Glasgow G13 1RR savings. He found it in the President: John Beattie ‘SciTech’ project at his old E-mail: [email protected] school, Glasgow Academy. Secretary: Stuart Neilson Tel: 07771 845104 On 26 October of this year E-mail: [email protected] the Saunders Centre was The Academical Club pavilion opened by Lord Strathclyde. is available for functions. We think Frank would have Academical Club’s London Section approved. Secretary – David Hall, 20 Cadogan Place London SW1X 9SA Tel: 020 7235 9012 Hasie Young at the recent Gasbags lunch wearing a poppy made E-mail: [email protected] by children at Glasgow Academy’s Nursery Like us on Facebook; join us on LinkedIn [email protected] Cover: The 150th Anniversary Dinner at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum on 6 November 2 Etcetera Opening of the Saunders Centre Science for today and the days to come… Drawing his inspiration from the opening of the Saunders Centre, former pupil Emeritus Professor Roy Burdon FSB, FRSA, FRSE considers the importance of science and the scientific method. he opening of the Saunders Centre It is the wellspring of all knowledge of be subject to peer review and, in any for science and technology presents the real world that can be tested and event, they are always provisional, Tan opportunity to highlight the fitted to pre-existing knowledge. It can susceptible to being overturned by role of science. These days, scepticism distinguish between true and false and it future experiment. Uncertainty is about science is unfortunately on the belongs to everybody. inevitable at the frontiers of knowledge. rise and it is vital that scientific thinking Science will always find the truth but Importantly, science is not a mere be assiduously promoted simply because its provisional quality causes difficulties body of facts but a method of deciding science tells the truth rather than what for many. Nonetheless it builds and whether what we choose to believe has we would like the truth to be. tests competitive hypotheses to generate a basis in the laws of nature or not. It is reliable knowledge of the real word. Our lives are now permeated by science not merely ‘another way of knowing’ and technology as never before. This – it generates pure knowledge about Yes, vaccines really do save lives, GM new world is wondrous, comfortable ourselves and about the environment foods are safe, the strange behaviour and rich in rewards. For instance we live in – knowledge that has to of the subatomic world can only be biotechnology is a route to new continually reshape our thinking. We revealed through quantum physics – and medicines and foods, particle physics all have trouble digesting randomness – the study of biology is incomprehensible provides insights into the origins of our brains crave patterns and meaning, without evolution. Science has had a the universe, supercomputers allow but science warns that we can deceive long track record of getting things right us to handle big data and facilitate ourselves. in the end. Indeed modern society is communications, and engineering creates built on the things it got right. Doubting The ‘Scientific Method’ is a hard new ways of harvesting renewable science has its consequences, possibly discipline and does not come naturally; energy and exploring space. Science global and enduring, such as global it is always susceptible to ‘confirmation compels us to push the boundaries of warming! The humanities are about bias’ – a tendency to look for and see what is possible and, although this can what makes us human, but science is only evidence that confirms what we be complicated and unnerving, it should committed to fact, without reference already believe. Any results must always be at the centre of everything we do. to ideology or religion, and cut paths through the bewildering complexities of human existence on Earth. Current ‘scientific’ evidence indicates that it is our responsibility to manage this planet and its resources: hopefully pupils, experiencing the Saunders Centre for science and technology and its teachers in future years, will come away properly equipped to confront these very daunting issues in one capacity or another. Roy Burdon (1955) As our guest of honour at the opening of the Saunders Centre on Monday 26 October we were delighted to welcome the Right Honourable the Lord Strathclyde CH PC. Lord Strathclyde, whose grandfather was a pupil at Glasgow Academy, spoke of the esteem in which his family have always held the school and how delighted he was to return to open this wonderful new building. Etcetera 3 of Scotland. He’s a member of the Their first 100 years… Milngavie and Bearsden Art Clubs. He has also had a lifelong interest in the Perry trained as a doctor in 1950 and, art of Heraldry. He designed a Coat Perry Harrison (1933) after practising in Dumfries, he became of Arms for the RCGP and this was Born 21 November 1915 a single-handed GP in Blanefield in officially accepted in 1962, along with Former pupil of the school, Herbert 1959, where he served the widespread his inscription ‘Cum Scientia Caritas’. Cooper Harrison (known as Perry) village and rural community for 35 He was elected to the Fellowship of celebrated his 100th birthday on 21 years. Perry was a founder member the College in 1977 and, in recognition November. He and his twin brother, of the Royal College of General of his services to the profession, Perry Ronnie, attended Glasgow Academy Practitioners which was formed was invited to the 2013 New Members’ between 1926 and 1930. Amongst his shortly after the inception of the NHS. Ceremony of the RCGP as the memorabilia, Perry has some pages While practising as a GP, Perry realised honoured guest. During his life, Perry from the Academy Preparatory School that there was a need for student has designed around 20 other Coats booklet, session 1927-1928. At that doctors to receive more practical and of Arms for Colleges, Councils and time, he was in Class 1A and was realistic training in preparation for Burghs. mentioned amongst the prize winners, their lives ‘outside medical school’. Perry’s two daughters, Kathleen and receiving a Special Certificate for Therefore, in 1953, Perry presented a Sheila, attended Westbourne School in Writing. He also has a photo of Class paper to the college on ‘The training the 1950s/60s. His son, David, attended 2A of 1928 along with the teacher ‘Bob’ of undergraduates by GPs’ and this Glasgow Academy in the 1960s. The Runciman. resulted in his proposal being adopted. photo below is of Perry with his For 17 years following this, he arranged Although he and his brother were sent children, daughter-in-law, grandson and the attachment of students to practices off to board at Mill Hill School in 1930, great grandson.