Famous Campbeltonians

[Iain]

Wow..., that was amazing !

[EMDEE]

Good work Iain on digging up this thread from a couple of years ago. I must confess I have not seen it before, but hopefully it can be added to.

How about adding Peter Sloss, the weather man? He's got a pretty important job at the moment. (and he was in my class at CGS)

[bill]

I don't think Jamie McIvor has been mentioned, especially as Emdee has nominated Peter Sloss.

[ionnsaigh]

General Jack.

[ionnsaigh]

Maurice Duncan.

[bill]

ME

[Bitter End]

Bill ! famous / infamous ? aye Infamous !

[EMDEE]

Maurice Duncan.

[ionnsaigh]

Maurice Duncan.

Well it seems that you find this amusing Mr EMDEE.. Maurice is highly regarded in some circles. Wee circles yes - but circles nonetheless.

[ionnsaigh]

The scaffy with all the badges and motor bike.

[bill]

William MacKinnon has been mentioned previously,but there is no mention on this thread of his partner Robert MacKenzie,also from Campbeltown.

Mackinnon and Mackenzie

The founder of the company was William Mackinnon. He was born, in 1823, in Campbeltown. From this small seaport on the western coast of Scotland he went to Glasgow as a young man and there became familiar with the ways of Eastern trade in the office of what was then called an "East Indian Merchant." The facts cannot now be known with certainty, but it is on clear record that William Mackinnon arrived in India in 1847, and that he was immediately in touch with another native of Campbeltown, Robert Mackenzie. It is said that Mackenzie persuaded the young Mackinnon to come to India and seek his fortune in that rich and rapidly developing country.

However that may be, these two young Scotsmen ultimately formed a partnership as general merchants. Mackenzie was in business at Ghazipur, buying and selling all. manner of goods from Europe and exporting the products of India. (It is of much interest that he used the inland waterways of the Ganges delta for the collection and distribution of his wares). Mackinnon started as manager of a sugar mill at Cossipore. Soon they were working together in import and export trades, and thus was formed the firm of Mackinnon, Mackenzie & Co which was to become one of the greatest names in the commercial records of India.

It was not long before these two young men from Scotland saw that their trading interests could be extended by the use of ships, and they duly bought or chartered a few small sailing vessels to carry goods to Australia, then rapidly expanding as the discovery of rich deposits of gold was attracting immigrants from the United Kingdom. These settlers could absorb almost any amount of consumer goods, and the partners in Calcutta set out energetically to supply the demand.

This trade was so profitable that in 1853 Robert Mackenzie himself set out for Australia to oversee the disposal of a large mixed cargo—from sugar, rice, coffee and tea to bedsteads and soap. Having sold these at good prices, he embarked in the small steamship Aurora on his return to India. This underpowered ship was wrecked on Gabo Island off Cape Howe on May 15, 1853, and Mackenzie was drowned. William Mackinnon was left alone to carry on the growing business in India. In fact. he was able to buy out his partner's brothers for Rs. 51.000, and it is of interest that these brothers went on to settle in Australia, where their direct descendants are active to this day.


http://www.biship.com/history.htm

[Mack]

David Colville of the Dalzell Works in Motherwell was born in Campbeltown. Switched to steel making and supplied the materials for the iconic Forth Rail Bridge. Colville's Steel grew into an industrial monster employing 180,000 workers. Ravenscraig steel strip mill was the end game for the famous Colville Steel Company.

Templeton of Templeton's Carpets was a Campbeltown man, his firm famous for carpeting the House of Commons and House of Lords.

Beatson, Surgeon General to Queen Victoria, was born in Campbeltown.

[bill]

The list just keeps growing.Great finds Mack.

[bill]

Another Olympic Gold medalist from the town.

"Thomas Gerald Tait, born Campbeltown,7/11/1866 - 19/12/1938



Gerald Tait was a member of the Royal Clyde Yacht Club and won his Olympic gold medal as a crew member aboard Hera, the Club’s entry in the 12-metre class at the 1908 Olympics.
He was a partner in the family firm of solicitors in Girvan and held office as Clerk to the Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire."


http://www.sports-reference.com/olympic ... ait-1.html

[bill]

Any Liverpool fans in the town ?

Robert Pursell,born in Campbeltown 18.03.1889,played for Liverpool.

He was in the 1914 FA CUP final Liverpool team.Losing 1-0 to Burnley.

He won 1 Scotland cap playing against Wales.

Unfortunately he received a life ban, along with three other Liverpool players, after being found guilty of match fixing.


http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/LIVERpursell.htm