John Downie, accountant

Published on Friday 20 November 2009 21:25

Born: 29 December, 1922, in Rangoon, Burma. Died: 26 September, 2009, in Edinburgh, aged 86.

JOHN Downie, a former chief accountant of Standard Life Assurance, was born in Rangoon, Burma, to Scottish parents. His father was a dockyard manager for the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company. The family returned home on leave in 1933 and decided to settle in Crieff. His father returned to Burma and stayed for another five years, normal practice in those days.

John attended Morrison's Academy in Crieff and made many lasting friendships. On leaving he was presented with the Macrosty Medal, awarded according to votes from fellow pupils. In 2005, with fellow Morrisonian and Crieff resident Hubert Strathearn, he produced a record of the Morrisonians who had died and/or had been decorated in the Second World War and ensured their names were correctly recorded in the school's memorial hall, presenting a roll of honour to the school.

When the Home Guard was raised in May 1940, he was a member of the Crieff detachment as well as serving with the Home Guard in St Andrews and Oban during his summer holidays that year. He left school in 1941 and enlisted in the Scots Guards, transferring to the Indian Army when it asked for volunteers and was commissioned into the Royal Indian Army Service Corps. He rose to the rank of Major and served in what is now Pakistan, Egypt and Iraq.

After his demob he went to Edinburgh to start his accountancy training. He joined Standard Life in 1952 and in 1958 he qualified as a chartered accountant and became an accounting assistant. He was appointed chief accountant in January 1983, the first non-actuary to hold this appointment.

During his career John served in most departments of accounts but eventually became particularly associated with computerisation of accounting records and systems. Latterly, as chief accountant, John coped successfully with the huge growth within the accounts department, which more than doubled in size due to the explosion in new business and Standard Life's entry into the unit trust and mortgage lending markets.

In June 1940 John saved a boy from drowning in the River Earn and was awarded a Humane Society certificate. He would later save another boy from drowning during the war, while on leave in London.

In 1947 John bought an Austin 7 doctor's coupe, which he drove from London to Edinburgh. The car sat for many years progressively being dismantled, despite John's good intention of rebuilding it. Not until he retired, and with much help from friends and the Austin 7 club, was it rebuilt and once again on the road. John had many enjoyable weekends with friends taking the car to Austin 7 events throughout Scotland.

For several years he was treasurer for the Pentland and Almond Scouts and after his retirement in 1987 he continued to give his time to act as auditor for the Austin 7 Club, Royal Victoria League and the Friends of Innerpeffray Library (Foil). He was a long-serving member of Foil and often travelled from Edinburgh to hear the talks. He also returned regularly to Crieff to meet up with fishing friends and fellow Morrisonians, and to visit family. Although John had not lived in Crieff for many years, he always considered it his home town.

In 1995 John was invited by the Indian Army to attend the quinnennial reunion of the Indian Army Service Corps. He visited again in 2000, this time with his wife, Moira. During these trips he struck up a friendship with Colonel Girdhari Singh. John had been told about the existence of nine Indian Army Service Corps graves at Kingussie and as a consequence of this introduced Col Singh to the local Royal British Legion Scotland branch, which subsequently made Col Singh honorary vice-president. The story about Indian Army graves in Kingussie featured in a Radio Scotland programme broadcast last year.

He is survived by his wife, their son, daughter and grandchildren.