Businessman and war veteran; Born December 9, 1919; Died July 7, 2007. Jimmy Fyfe, who has died aged 87, was a leading businessman and church elder who was flying a mission near Berlin when the ceasefire was declared which brought to an end major hostilities in Europe in 1945.

Businessman and war veteran; Born December 9, 1919; Died July 7, 2007.

Jimmy Fyfe, who has died aged 87, was a leading businessman and church elder who was flying a mission near Berlin when the ceasefire was declared which brought to an end major hostilities in Europe in 1945.

He was born and raised in Glasgow, attending Glasgow High School. His father, John, died when Jimmy was just 13 but he had a happy childhood despite this, raised by mother Jeannie and his much-loved older sister, Betty, spending many summer holidays with relatives on the isle of Iona, for which he retained a lifelong fondness, taking his own family there in later years.

On leaving school, he started training with the long-established Glasgow firm of quantity surveyors, John Dansken & Purdie but this was interrupted by the outbreak of war.

He had already joined the TA in 1938 so was called up straight away and served in the 56 Search Light Regiment of the Royal Artillery, later volunteering for a transfer into the Army Air Corps - a branch of the service then in its infancy and quite distinct from the Royal Air Force. He went through gunnery school and pilot training, learning to fly light aircraft and autogyros, and qualified as a captain pilot in 1943.

In 1944, he was very active at the Normandy landings with the 652 Air OP Squadron in support of the 51st Highland Division and 6th Airborne. He flew to report on enemy positions and helped direct naval bombardments and then army artillery as he accompanied the Allied advance through France, Belgium and towards Arnhem in Holland. He lost many close friends during this time and, as with others of his generation, these experiences moulded his character, giving a determination and sense of purpose which he was to carry forward through the years.

He was flying a mission near Berlin when the ceasefire was declared, eventually returning to Scotland in September 1945 and demobilising in 1946, although he later renewed his connection with the forces by joining 666 Air OP squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force from 1951-54.

Upon demobilisation he rejoined Dansken and Purdie to continue his training, rising rapidly to become a partner in the firm in 1950. From this time, until his retiral as chairman in 1984, Fyfe was a prime mover in the firm. He had a very active, able mind and acute business acumen which, combined with his enthusiasm, saw the firm expand to offices in Liverpool, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. He was a forceful and capable negotiator but, above all, a man of great integrity and scrupulous honesty. Throughout his professional career he was an active member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, serving on numerous committees, becoming the chairman of the quantity surveyors' committee of the Scottish branch of RICS and then, in 1976, the president of the Quantity Divisional Council of RICS in London.

Fyfe moved to Stirling in 1960 with his wife, Molly, and children, John and Elizabeth. His funeral service was held there in the Church of the Holy Rude, which was very fitting. He had served as an elder from 1960 onwards and firmly believed that it was the duty of the church to provide pastoral care to all its parishioners. He was always conscientious in his duties. During his long term as fabric convener he was instrumental in much of the church refurbishment work and loved this medieval building with its long history.

He used his extensive knowledge for the greater good, too, becoming a member of the fabric committee of the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland from 1974 until 1995. He made many happy trips to churches across the country, including his beloved Iona, and his ability to dispense helpful advice to many a congregation throughout Scotland was always valuable and very apposite.

After his retirement, in addition to this work for the Church of Scotland, Fyfe spent six years as a member of the advisory committee of the Scottish Independent Broadcasting Authority and then was a tax commissioner with the Inland Revenue for a further four years.

Another of Fyfe's abiding interests outside his professional life was his association with the Trades House of Glasgow. He became Deacon of the Incorporation of Masons in 1974 and later, in 1980, was elected as Deacon Convener, the highest office in the Trades House and third citizen of Glasgow.

As Deacon Convener, he led by example - never relaxing the traditions of the house but weaving his own vision and personality into all that he did. In 1980, Provost Michael Kelly launched the Glasgow's Miles Better campaign to promote the city as it went through the traumatic changes from heavy industry to new technologies.

The rebirth included the cleaning of the stonework at the City Chambers, peeling back the decades of soot to reveal a shining new image. More funding was required for the project to go ahead and, against normal practice and despite coolness between the city council and the Trades House, Fyfe gave a grant from Trades House to make the project happen.

The "cold war" was replaced by warm goodwill from that day. Fyfe also determined that, to overcome criticism of the Trades House as a charitable association only looking after its own, it should start to raise new money to go directly to meet the wider need. This initiative, from its small beginnings has continued to grow.

Fyfe was a man who was always genuine in his concern for others and gave his commitment, wholeheartedly, to any task he undertook.