William S. Macdonald

[bill]

Came across this quite by accident."Rectors of Inverness Royal Academy from the opening in 1792",and there at 19th. is Mr.McDonald,former Rector of Campbeltown Grammar .
What an interesting and varied life he had. I do not remember him,though he would still have been Rector for my first year.


"Born in Caithness, but soon his family moved to the South of Scotland. M.A. (1st class Honours) French and German, Edinburgh; B.A. (1st class Honours) History, London; B.Ed.

Played football for Queen's Park; captain, Scottish Amateur International Team, 1939.

During Second World War, became Commander of an antisubmarine corvette; senior interpreter of Uboat survivors; mentioned in despatches and decorated M.B.E., D.S.C.

Started teaching at Govan High School before War. After War became Principal Teacher of Modern Languages, Mortlach Secondary School, Dufftown. Then to Coatbridge until 1952. Rector of Campbeltown Grammar School, 1952-1961.

Appointed Rector of Inverness Royal Academy from 15 January 1962; retired 27 August 1971 to Caithness.

Was an elder of the Crown Church, Inverness, and for some years President of Inverness Battalion of the Boys' Brigade.
After retiral trained for Ministry at Trinity College, Glasgow.

Became Regional Councillor for John O'Groats ward, 1974. Was Vice-chairman of Education Committee. Visited Brussels on European Economic Community business.

Died 21 January 1978 in Caithness, aged 66. Obituary in Inverness Courier, 24 January 1978"

[WC1]

Still commemorated in Campbeltown Grammar School by the award annually of the W S MacDonald Prize for French.

He was rector in my first year and part of second. I started at the Grammar with a broken arm. One day as he came back in through the playground having been home for his lunch, he spotted the sling and the cast and stopped to ask what had happened to me. I swear I shook for the whole afternoon. That night I told my mother the rector had spoken to me. "What?" she cried. "What were you doing that the rector had to speak to you?" and was all set to 'reinforce' whatever warning or punishment I'd been given. Changed days!

[bill]

Willie,I was talking to Donald,my next oldest brother,and he remembers him well.He reckons he was known as Dracula by the pupils.Obviously that would only be behind his back,and out of his hearing.

[WC1]

That's right Bill, though perhaps if we'd known he was going into the ministry after retirement we would have called him Van Helsing!

[Mary G]

What goes around, comes around ... the current rector of the 'IRA' (as it is know in Inverness) is our very own Alastair McKinlay, whom many people on the forum will remember as a fellow pupil in their own days at the Grammar.

[bill]

You beat me to it Mary .