Dr. Frederick Sieber 1958-2024
Former HSD pupil Dr Frederick (Fred) Alexander Sieber, died suddenly but peacefully on April 10, 2024, at the Critical Care Unit of the Royal Stoke University Hospital at the age of 65.
Rev Dr. Henry Dane Sherrard 1946-2024
The Rev Dr Henry Dane Sherrard, known as Dane, was born on 13 March 1946 in a Watford nursing home to parents John and Mary.
Brian Callison 1934-2024
Adventure novelist and former HSD pupil Brian Callison has died at the age of 89.
Mona Clark 1934-2024
Former pupil and Dux of the High School Mona Clark has died at the age of 89.
Gerald Tosh 1949-2024
Gerald Tosh, known to most as Gerry, has passed away at the age of 75 following a battle with cancer.
Iain Ferguson Bain 1976-2023
Iain Ferguson Bain (47) passed away peacefully on 3 August 2023 following a long illness.
He attended Dundee High School between 1981-1994 before studying at Strathclyde university and joined Police Scotland in 2000.
Stewart Cram 1955-2023
Fondly remembered as an active member of our school community, Stewart continued his love for rugby playing for the school’s FPs and the Edinburgh Wanderers.
Stewart married his classmate Fiona Williamson and the couple continued their association with the school as proud parents with Fiona also teaching in the Modern Languages Department. During his working life, Stewart became a director of Robertson’s Furnishings in Dundee but still found time to take part in many local community groups in Fife.
Dr. John SG Blair, OBE 1928-2023
Dr Blair was Dux of the School in 1946 but due to a shortage of gold post war he had to wait 60 years to receive his Harris Gold Medal at our June 2006 Prizegiving. A keen supporter of the School, Dr Blair regularly attended the annual alumni reunions and he shared wonderful memories of his school days in our Winter 2019 Edition of Schola Clara Magazine.
During his school days Dr Blair received a number of other medals and appears in medallist photos in our archive section on the website here. The photo here is from the 1944-45 magazine where he won the Boase Medal and Piri Cup for Golf and the following photo is from the Boys’ Golf Club Session 1945 which you can find here.
George Farquhar (1931-2022)
Born in Edinburgh on the 12th March 1931 George was a pupil at The High School of Dundee for 10 years, leaving shortly before his 16th birthday when his family moved to Edinburgh.
Like so many others his childhood was interrupted by WWII and consequently he needed to join the Cadet Force and undertake harvest camps to help local farmers. He loved the camps and they allowed him to save some money to buy a Hercules bicycle. Enabling independent travel, the bicycle was so cherished that seven decades later it still has pride of place in the family garage.
Rev. Ian Taylor 1932 – 2022
Cherished memories of the Reverend Ian Taylor (former pupil and teacher at Dundee High School; senior lecturer at the College of Ripon and York St John and summer schools in St Andrews; minister at St Giles Cathedral, later The Parish Church of Newburgh, Abdie and Dunbog, Fife), who passed away, on November 3, 2022, beloved husband of Joy and much loved father, grandfather and great-grandfather. No longer in our lives but forever in our hearts.
Prof. David C. Crichton 1948 – 2022
Born in Dundee in 1948 David was educated at Dundee High School before studying politics and economics at Dundee University.
In 1971 he undertook a graduate trainee position with Legal & General Insurance Company in Glasgow and after two years was promoted to a senior underwriter position in London.
Alison Chandler (née Gauldie) 1957-2021
Alison was born on 30th November 1957 and brought up in Invergowrie. She was the elder daughter of Enid and the late Sinclair Gauldie (Class of 1936) and sister of Robin (class of 1973) and Becca (class of 1986).
After leaving school, Alison completed a BA at the University of Edinburgh and then spent a year as an au pair in Spain. Following that, she lived and worked in the third sector in London, where she met her husband, Miles.
Alexander (‘Sandy’) R. Murray (1926 – 2021)
Alexander Ritchie Murray, known as Sandy, died at the age of 95 on 29 June 2021 after a long, happy and fulfilling life. He will be remembered as a most amazing, inspirational, proud and canny
Scot who was so interested and supportive of his family throughout his life.
Sandy was born on the 9May 1926 in Dundee and attended Dundee High School from 1936-43. He was passionately proud of his connections with the School, and attended numerous ‘Class of ’43’
reunions together with his fellow classmates. He went on to graduate as a Civil Engineer in 1945. He then spent three years in the Army with postings to Mecktila, Burma and Taiping. Sandy then began his 43-year career with Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners in 1948.
Aileen M. Smith (née Gordon) 1953-2021
Born in May 1953, Aileen attended Ancrum Road Primary School before enrolling at the High School of Dundee. She went on to study her LLB law degree at the University of Edinburgh from 1970 until 1974, graduating with a first. She completed her traineeship with Dundee City Council, qualifying as a Solicitor in 1976.
Aileen was the Principal Solicitor for Dundee City Council and was heavily involved with the city’s early waterfront regeneration. Additionally, she was responsible for the burial of Dundee’s destitute dead and would actively go to great lengths to find out their faith to ensure they received the appropriate funeral.
Dr. Lockhart E. R. B. Frain-Bell (1921-2020)
Born in Dundee in 1921, Lockhart went on to secure a scholarship in 1938 from the High School of Dundee to study medicine at the University of St Andrews. Graduating with his MBChB with commendation in April 1944, Lockhart was immediately commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Royal Army Medical Corps having passed Certificate B in the OTC.
On the evening of D-Day, he was in Bradford Royal Infirmary, treating casualties from the Normandy landings. Lockhart was then sent on an intensive and exacting course at the London School of Tropical Medicine, with a view to being posted to S.E. Asia.
William (Bill) A. S. Dryden (1929-2020)
Born and brought up in Dundee’s Nelson Terrace, Bill was the youngest of three brothers, who were all involved in the family firm, Dryden’s, started by their grandfather. The locally run
business sold flowers, fruit and vegetables at a number of shops in Dundee.
Bill was educated at Dundee High School and Strathallan. After leaving school in 1947, he spent the next four years learning the trade with a firm of potato merchants in Huntly and the Glasgow Fruit Market.
Prof. Sir Neil J. Douglas (1949-2020)
Neil was born in Edinburgh, the second of four children. His father, Professor Sir Donald Douglas, became President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and his mother Di was a superb full-time homemaker. He was brought up in Dundee and educated at Dundee High School and Glenalmond College. This was followed by preclinical medicine at St Andrews University and clinical studies in Edinburgh. He graduated with distinctions in medicine, surgery and therapeutics.
Kenneth G. Morrison (Captain RE, Retired) 1938-2020
Kenneth joined F1 from Ardrossan Academy when his family moved to Wormit. Academically able and a keen sportsman, he was a member of the rugby and tennis teams, also enjoying golf and squash. Above all, as a member of the CCF, he looked forward to Friday parades. Another interest was membership of 34th Fife (1st Newport) Scouts, where in 1954 he
achieved the distinction of Queen’s Scout. On leaving school, he began studying Pure Science at Queen’s College in Dundee, then still part of the University of St Andrews.
J. Ross Paton 1948 – 2020
Dundee Solicitor Ross Paton, described as the life and soul of any party, has died aged 71.
Born James Kinross Paton, but known as Ross, he died suddenly on October 13th at his adopted home of Insh.
Mark G. Kerr 1954 – 2020
Mark Kerr was born on 27 June 1954 in Lochee. He was the eldest son of Grant Kerr DFC FRCS and Agnes ‘Nan’ Kerr and was the first of their four children to attend the High School of Dundee, Mark from 1966 until 1972, Hilary (class of 75), Lynne (class of 78) and Paul (class of 80).
A keen hockey player, Mark became 1st X1 Captain. He played while at Aberdeen University, returning to Dundee to play for DHSFP, where he became Club Captain and President. Mark was Dad of ‘Dad’s Army’ team, who played in an annual hockey tournament in Scarborough. He moved north to Inverness and played for Highland HC and subsequently umpired for many years.
