Chartered accountant and Second World War infantryman
Chartered accountant and Second World War infantryman
Born: October 8, 1921; Died: September 21, 2014.
DOCTOR Donald Grant, who has died aged 92, did much in his life, including fighting under General Montgomery in the battle for El Alamein in Egypt, a turning point inthe Second World War. But he would probably be happy to be remembered simply as a Dundonian, born and bred in Broughty Ferry. As one friend put it: "He immersed himself in the public life of his home city. He loved Dundee and it loved him back." He also loved his wife, Lavinia, better known to her friends as Ruth, whose death last year, after almost 70 years of marriage, caused him great sorrow.
Dr Grant was a chartered accountant by training and profession, a highly-respected figure within the company which became known as KPMG, now one of the largest professional services companies in the world and one of the top four auditors globally. But his influence on Tayside went far beyond numbers on a page.
He was a past chairman of Tayside Health Board and the Scottish Legal Aid Board. He was Captain of Panmure Golf Club in Barry, Angus, one of the world's oldest golf clubs, and served for almost 10 years as assessor to the Chancellor of Dundee University (at the time the Nobel Medicine Prize winner Sir James Black).
Dr Grant would become known as the "father" of the University Court, the university's governing body, until his retirement in 2002. "It is impossible to over-egg the contribution of Donald Grant to this university," the court's convener, Larry Rolland, said at the time. "We are extremely grateful for all the time, energy, talent and skill he has put into the university."
As a director of Dundee Industrial Heritage Ltd, Dr Grant was perhaps best-known for his successful efforts to bring the famous Antarctic research vessel RRS (Royal Research Ship) Discovery back to its native Dundee, where it had been launched in 1901, the last of the traditional three-masted wooden ships built in Britain. The vessel, which took the explorers Scott and Shackleton to the Antarctic in the first years of the 20th century, had become dilapidated but, largely thanks to Dr Grant and the Dundee Heritage Trust, it was restored and is now a popular tourist attraction at Dundee's Discovery Point visitor centre.
Donald Blane Grant was born in the Broughty Ferry area on October 8, 1921 to Quintin Grant, manager of the Royal Bank of Scotland's Dundee branch, and his wife Euphemia. At Dundee High School, he excelled in maths but was no geek and confounded his teachers and fellow pupils with his prowess at sports, notably rugby and tennis.
He was still only 17 when war broke out but he enlisted as soon as he turned 18, joining the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division. With the rank of major, fighting alongside troops of the Royal Artillery, he took part in Operation Lightfoot, cutting through the desert minefields laid by Rommel and his Axis allies with the help of the so-called Polish mine detector, invented in Scotland in 1941 by Polish army lieutenant Józef Kosacki, which doubled the speed at which desert landmines could be de-activated.
Many years later, he would tell his fascinated grandchildren how General (later Field Marshal) Montgomery electrified his troops with a desert speech before the first battle for El Alamein. "The bad times are over. They're finished," Monty told his men. "Our mandate from Mr Churchill is to destroy the Axis forces in North Africa. It can be done and it will be done! We're going to finish with this chap Rommel once and for all."
Having been demobbed in 1946, he qualified as a chartered accountant in Dundee in 1948 and would be a partner for 36 years in the firm Moody Stuart & Robinson, later to become Thomas McLintock & Co and eventually KPMG. He also remained as an officer in the Territorial Army. He was named a CBE in 1989 and was given an honorary law degree (LLD) by the University of Dundee the same year.
As chairman of Tayside Health Board from 1984-91, he hosted a visit in 1986 by Diana, Princess of Wales, to Roxburghe House, the specialist palliative care unit within the grounds of Dundee's Royal Victoria Hospital.
He was a president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (1979-80) and chaired the Scottish Legal Aid Board from 1986-91. He also worked for many Tayside charities, appeals and trusts, including the Sir James Caird Travelling Scholarships Trust, which he chaired. In the words of one obituarist, he was "a passionate Scotsman and loyal Dundonian. Along with many of his former schoolfriends, he was of a generation that played a major role in redefining the city".
In his rare non-working hours, he enjoyed the Scottish countryside, fishing, shooting and playing golf every Saturday morning at Panmure. He was also a much-liked member of Blairgowrie Golf Club and the Royal and Ancient of St Andrews.
His wife Lavinia, known to their friends as Ruth and originally from Aberdeen, died in the summer of last year.
They were married while Mr Grant was on leave from the army in 1944 and spent the rest of their lives in Broughty Ferry, enjoying holidays in a home he designed and built himself in Majorca. He is survived by his daughters Jillian, Susan and Philippa, 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
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