Officer with The Boys' Brigade
Officer with The Boys' Brigade
Born: June 5, 1941; Died: October 1, 2013
Derek William Miller, who has died aged 72, will be best rememberd as an officer of the Boys' Brigade. He served with the 101st Glasgow as an officer and for a short time as captain for nearly 53 years.
He was educated at the Boys High, Glasgow, and at Glasgow University, graduating with a B.Sc. in chemistry. After graduation he took up a post with BP at Grangemouth as an analytical chemist. He remained with BP for the rest of his career.
During his time with 101st Glasgow Company, he must have driven several thousand miles, ferrying boys to competitions, touring camps in Wales and Scandinavia and of course the camps in Arran. His minibus was famous in Partick District. He was the camp quartermaster and habitually organised the advance party for each camp. He spent hours organising inter-squad competitions, drilling squads, taking badge classes and coaching boys for Top of the Form.
At district level, he was company section organiser for Partick District. There, he made sure that competitions ran according to the rules and on time. He single-handedly organised the District Sports in the Kelvin Hall for a number of years. Not one competition ran without some input from Mr Miller. Prior to this, he had served as outdoor activities representative, district examinations organiser and district secretary. These skills were also put to good use by Glasgow Battalion especially when it came to table tennis.
To mark this lifetime of service, he was presented with a long service certificate by Glasgow Battalion in 2011, marking 50 years of service as an officer - all of that time with the 101st. It is believed this is a record in Glasgow Battalion. What is more remarkable is that he continued to carry out these duties after suffering a major stroke in 2001, resulting in semi paralysis.
He was also an elder in Balshagray Victoria Park Parish Church, where he served the congregation with the same selfless dedication. He was brought up in this congregation and seemed to know everyone in the church. He sang in the choir and deputised as organist, again continuing after his stroke. Here he was also presented with a long service award for his work as an elder.
Somehow he also found time to have a passion for stamps, trains, trams and veteran buses. He was particularly fond of the PS Waverley.
We were all saddened by his sudden death. A memorial service followed by a private cremation was held on October 14. There was an excellent turn out from The 101st, past and present, Partick District and Glasgow Battalion. Balshagray Victoria Park turned out in force to say their final goodbyes to a much-loved and respected gentleman. The service was conducted by the Rev Dave Sutherland, assistant minister in BVP. The retiring offering raised £522 for Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland.
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