Obituary: Paul Caton, deputy principal awarded MBE for services to cadets

Paul Anthony Caton MBE, teacher. Born: January 19 1940 in Droylsden, Lancashire. Died: January 22 2021 in Edinburgh, aged 81
Paul Caton with his MBEPaul Caton with his MBE
Paul Caton with his MBE

He had once contemplated joining the army but opted instead to study mathematics before carving out a career in the classroom.

And while that youthful decision was undoubtedly the regular army’s loss it proved an immensely fortuitous gain for the Edinburgh teaching profession, where Paul Caton spent his entire working life.

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From Melville College he moved seamlessly through the ranks and its merger with Daniel Stewart’s to become a much-respected deputy principal and the ultimate Mr Stewart’s Melville.

Along the way he coached and mentored countless youngsters and was the influential leader of the school’s Combined Cadet Force (CCF). His long-standing service there saw him honoured with an MBE.

The son of a Manchester barber, John Caton, and his wife Edith, an insurance company librarian, he was born in Droylsden, Lancashire, and attended Moorside Primary and Fairfield County Schools.

He went on to Audenshaw Grammar School where he excelled, becoming head boy in 1959 and company sergeant major of the CCF.

Sport played a large role in his life, stemming from his schooldays when he was a keen cricket and rugby player, captaining the 1st XV and winning the Victor Ludorum trophy.

His weekends were punctuated by visits to Old Trafford cricket matches and, on alternate Saturdays, to both Manchester United and Manchester City matches; rivalry played no part in his enthusiasm, although he later favoured the United squad.

The CCF was also a constant thread running through his life and while he enjoyed the extensive leadership and outdoor pursuit opportunities it afforded, the prospect of full-time service was not enough to persuade him to sign up to the regular army.

On leaving school he went up to Edinburgh University, from which he graduated with a BSc in mathematics.

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He went on to Moray House Teacher Training College to become a secondary school teacher.

The Scottish capital was now his home and in 1964 he was appointed an assistant maths teacher at the city’s Melville College, and soon became head of department.

When the college merged with Stewart’s Melville in 1972 he was promoted to head of Middle School and played an important role in the integration of the two Edinburgh institutions, taking on the challenging task of timetabling all senior school classes and allocating teachers.

Clear-headed, decisive and empathetic, he was also scrupulously fair – all attributes that eased the process of creating a new, noble centre of learning.

“At the time of the merger Paul had epitomised all that was good about Melville College, “ said the school, “but, as soon as the schools merged, he became Mr Stewart’s Melville, admired and personally liked by colleagues, boys and parents.

“Nothing was ever too much trouble for Paul and no one could have worked harder than him to ensure that within a few years the new school proved itself to be worthy of the name Stewart’s Melville College, loved by its pupils and teachers and respected throughout the city of Edinburgh as a beacon of excellence.”

By the time he was appointed deputy principal in 1987 the school had also embraced one of the UK’s oldest girls’ schools, Mary Erskine’s, and he played a significant role in that union too.

Meanwhile he had also been an accomplished rugby coach, overseeing almost a decade of success with Stewart’s Melville College’s 1st XV as well as coaching the former pupils’ 1st XV and, as a keen skier, he had taken school parties abroad.

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In addition he had served the school’s CFF for almost 40 years, as contingent commander since 1978, proving a remarkable influence on thousands of youngsters and being instrumental in including girls in the force.

A heart attack in 1994 hastened his retirement in1996 but he continued working part-time for the school as the contingent commander and training and testing all those who drove the school mini buses.

In 2002 he was awarded an MBE for his services to the cadets and he finally fully retired in 2004 just before his 65th birthday.

During his working life many of his leisure pursuits were connected with the school’s extra-curricular activities but he also enjoyed DIY, completely renovating a family holiday home in Perthshire. In addition, he was a passionate gardener.

He married his wife Sue, who is Olympic runner Eric Liddell’s niece, in 1972 and was a member of the Eric Liddell Centre, in Edinburgh’s Morningside Road, to which any donations in his memory may be made.

He is survived by Sue, sister Jackie, niece Lisa and her family.

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