Laird of Colonsay and a defence minister under Margaret Thatcher

Born: November 26, 1923;

Died: June 16, 2018

THE 4th Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, who has died aged 94, served as a defence minister in Margaret Thatcher’s government, owned a large estate in Scotland and two islands in the Inner Hebrides: Oronsay and Colonsay.

He inherited the islands, off the Argyllshire coast, with his title in 1959 and sold the former and much improved the latter (it had been used by the RAF during the war).

He did try to sell Colonsay too but having failed to sell it in 1974 he decided to develop the island with a keen eye to preserving its traditional nature while making it a congenial place for visitors. Within four years the golf course had been much improved and cottages were available for renting as were wings of Colonsay House.

Donald Euan Palmer Howard was the son of the 3rd Baron, the title dating from1900 through a forebear who was a Scottish-born Canadian financier who had co-founded the Canadian-Pacific Railway and been a large shareholder in the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Strathcona attended Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge and served in the Royal Navy from 1942 to 1947 on motor-torpedo boats patrolling the south coast of England. Demobilised a lieutenant, he studied engineering at McGill University, Montreal then joined the industrial consultants Urwick Orr in Northumberland.

In 1957 he moved to Somerset to become joint managing director of Kelston Engineering. The firm prospered with a most successful division manufacturing ball-point lens. He lived in some splendour in a large Georgian house over-looking Bath.

In the early 1970s Strathcona was much involved with the project to recover Brunel’s famous passenger ship SS Great Britain from the Falklands – it had been grounded in the harbour of Port Stanley for 84 years after trying to round the Horn in treacherous weather. The hulk was refloated and towed back to Bristol on a pontoon. The whole event was covered by Strathcona for a national newspaper from a converted wooden Chinese junk. The homecoming was given a tumultuous reception in Bristol.

He attended the House of Lords but made no strong impression until Prime Minister Edward Heath appointed him, in 1973, a government whip in the Lords - his principal duties were ceremonial. Within a year Strathcona had been made parliamentary under-secretary for the RAF but unfortunately he was in that post for just eight weeks as Heath called (and lost) the Who governs Britain? General Election. In Opposition he was active in the Lords on Labour proposals for North Sea Oil development.

In 1979 the new Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher appointed Strathcona a defence minister with responsibility for military procurement. He became involved in some knotty administrative problems – especially when the government had deducted payments from British soldiers held as prisoners of war.

In 1980 he stated that the government should not supply weapons to a country guilty of torture. When asked about supplying Chile, Strathcona had to do a delicate U-turn. He did approve the Stingray torpedo project but in 1981 he supported Francis Pym when he opposed Thatcher’s defence cuts and the Prime Minister asked for Strathcona’s immediate resignation.

Strathcona was able to devote more time to his estate in Scotland, his business and, especially, his garden. At Colonsay House he created a magnificent garden with a superb display of rhododendrons and shrubs. When he moved out of the main house to a nearby cottage he extended the garden there and enthusiastically planted another spectacular shrub garden.

His son the Hon Alex Howard told The Herald: ‘‘Gardening was my father’s life-long passion – along with his dogs. He planted several areas of woodland on Colonsay but was absolutely committed to preserving and enhancing the character of the island.

“He was not against modernisation and explored renewable energy projects some years ago. He improved the harbour and although he didn’t play golf he was an enthusiastic supporter of our island course. Dad always wanted to do what was best for Colonsay.’’

Strathcona had many other interests. He was a lover of music – especially Bach and Handel – and served as chairman of the Bath Festival where he found himself at odds with the festival’s director, Sir Yehudi Menuhin. Strathcona spent much time repairing wooden boats and was president of the Steamboat Association and chairman of Coastal Forces Heritage.

Strathcona had lived at Millers Cottage for the past 15 years where he had stayed active in his workshop, walking his dogs and gardening

In 1954 he married Lady Jane Waldegrave. The marriage was dissolved in 1977. The following year he married Patricia Middleton who survives him along with two sons and four daughters from his first marriage. The Hon Alex Howard succeeds as the 5th Baron.

ALASDAIR STEVEN