‘One of the posh kids from St Andrews’

BEFORE Adam Werritty went to Edinburgh University, where he was to run into Liam Fox, he was a pupil at Madras College in St Andrews.

Former pupils of the school in the Auld Grey Toon remember him as a keen rugby player, who played on occasions for the First XV.

“He was tall, so he played in the second row,” said one former pupil. “I wasn’t always a regular in the side, but he certainly played, as did his brother Jonathan, who went to Cambridge.

“It is fair to say he was someone who was keen to share his opinions, and his reputation would be as one of the posh kids from St Andrews.”

With his links to the Defence Secretary making headlines for several days, old Madras pupils were contacting each other via Facebook remarking on the fate of their old classmate.

One claimed Mr Werritty had once drawn a cartoon lampooning members of staff while in the sickbay at school.

His father, Alan Werritty, is a distinguished academic and emeritus professor of physical geography at the University of Dundee.

Prof Werritty – a former Fulbright scholar who became director of the Centre for Research on Water Law Policy and Science – has made a name for himself by using historical data to learn about flood risk and flood prevention.

Mr Werritty’s parents still live in St Andrews.

Asked about his son’s working relationship with Dr Fox yesterday, Prof Werritty said: “I have no comment to make and I refer you to the statement Liam Fox made in the House of Commons yesterday afternoon.”