Wing Commander John A. MacDonell of Lochgarry.
Wing Commander John A. MacDonell of Lochgarry, a life member of the Edinburgh Society since 1957, died on the 27th December 1969. He was joint-President of the Clan Donald Society of Canada from its foundation on the 19th November 1961 in Toronto. He never came over to Scotland but we knew him well by his letters, and respected his deep insight into the politics of his country and the world. His last letter came, ironically enough, a month after his death in January 1970. By then we knew of his death from his son, Ian, who carries on the family name “of Lochgarry”, an honourable and famous one in the Glengarry branch of our clan. Ian is resident in Pasco in the State of Washington on the Pacific Coast, is married and has two boys and a girt so that great family is not in danger of extinction. Ian called on us during a tour of Europe as a student CA, but unfortunately he was on his way home and we were unable to arrange a trip to the old house of Lochgarry to test out The Curse (see CDM No 2).
Ian is a Life Member of the Edinburgh Society. The clan in Canada will miss the late Lochgarry sorely, as he was a dedicated supporter of Clan Donald. We offer our sympathy, belated but sincere, to his widow and family.
Dr R.M. Gorrie DSc. FSA Scot.
Another great loss sustained by the clan has been just before Christmas by the loss of our Hon. Editor and old member. Dr R. M. Gorrie DSc. who died after a year or more of bad health. Up to the end he tried bravely to carry on his work for the Society gathering material for this Magazine. This he did so efficiently that the interim editor has had little to do except put it into order for the printers. But it was not alone in this work that he supported the clan. He carried out much research into clan history and attended faithfully meetings of the Council of which he was a valuable member for some years.
Dr Gorrie was 73 and had served many public bodies here and in India where he was Forestry expert as well as in Ceylon and Iraq. He was Editor of the Scottish Forestry Journal, and a prominent member of the Saltire Society, of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the English Speaking Union, and the Overseas League. He made a valuable contribution also to the economic development of the Highlands and Islands as Secretary and later as Council Member of the Highland Fund.
Educated at George Watson’s College, he graduated BSc. in forestry at Edinburgh University in 1922 and gained his doctorate in forest ecology in 1930, having entered the Indian Forestry Service in 1922.
He will be greatly missed in our councils and committees and we extend to his widow and family our sincere sympathy.
Sheriff T.P. McDonald QC.
Since the issue of our Magazine No 4 two years ago, we have lost one of our oldest and most loyal members, Past President and wise counsellor, Sheriff T.P. McDonald QC, who died in 1968. He died at his home in Edinburgh aged 68 after a long illness. We miss him sadly at our meetings and his loyal service to the clan in the midst of many other activities.
He was educated at George Watson’s College, and the University of Edinburgh where he graduated MA & LLB. He was Procurator for the Church of Scotland for 11 years, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Advocates and Sheriff of Aberdeen and adjacent counties since 1954.
He served the clan Donald Society of Edinburgh faithfully and very effectively in all its activities. We suffered a great loss with his death; and even now after two years or more have elapsed since he died we miss his genial presence and unstinted help as much as ever.
He is survived by his wife who is still a member of the Clan Society, his son and two daughters.