Final goodbye for stalwart of Kidderminster Scottish community (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Final goodbye for stalwart of Kidderminster Scottish community

7:40am Wednesday 5th September 2012 in News By William Tomaney

FRIENDS and family of a stalwart of Kidderminster’s Scottish community have said a final goodbye to a “respected pillar of the community”.

Jack Gillespie died on Friday, August 10, aged 103 - a week after celebrating his birthday.

His son John died the next day, Saturday, August 11, following a short illness. Jack’s funeral was held last Thursday at St George’s Church, Kidderminster and featured a regimental piper and plenty of pomp and ceremony.

He was the president of Kidderminster Scottish Society and his wife May was a committee member.

Born into a Scottish family in Liverpool in 1909, Jack came to Kidderminster in 1960 to be export manager of Hurcott Paper Mills.

During the Second World War, he served in the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders and a book containing poems he wrote during his time in the trenches - The Poetical Journal of a Cameron Highlander - was published in 2009.

He was also chairman of Kidderminster and District Cancer Relief and Cancer Relief MacMillan Fund.

His fund-raising included organising an annual sponsored swim in Stourport, as well as various other events. He received a MacMillan Fund medal for his efforts.

Friend Madeleine Roy described his death as “the end of an era”.

“He was a renowned and respected pillar of Kidderminster. The funeral had the pomp and ceremony he loved so well,” she added. “It is all very sad.”

John’s funeral took place the day after his father’s, on Friday, also at St George’s Church.