Born: 24 February, 1922, in Synowodzko, Poland.
Died: 2 April, 2008, in Edinburgh, aged 86.
JOSEPH Carmichael was a prominent garage owner and a leading Polish businessman in Scotland.
He was born Jozef Ho
rodyski in what was then eastern Poland. In 1939, when he was only 17, his country was invaded and occupied. Within weeks he was arrested by the German authorities, falsely accused of involvement in blowing up a public building. Along with two others, he was sentenced to death by firing squad.
His father protested his innocence to the German commander, seemingly to no avail, for the three men were lined up and Joseph watched as the other two were shot. When it came to his turn, the German commander ordered him to run and he dived through a hole in the hedge and ran to freedom. The German commander, it turned out, also had a 17-year-old son.
Several weeks later, Joseph and his brother escaped from Poland and made their way to Paris via Budapest, where they joined the Free Polish forces. Joseph was sent to the Saint Cyr Coetquidan Military Academy and enrolled as a cadet officer.
In May 1940, with the invasion of France, he was sent to the Belgian front, where his company formed part of the rearguard action during the evacuation of Dunkirk. When it was realised the position was hopeless, they were ordered to retreat as best as they could. He and a number of his comrades commandeered a lorry, made their way to the port of La Rochelle in south-west France and gained passage on one of the last merchant ships leaving for the UK.
Having arrived safely in Plymouth, his group was sent by train to Glasgow, where he rejoined the Free Polish forces. After completing his officer training, Joseph was commissioned as a lieutenant in the 1st Polish Armoured Division. While stationed at Gosforth House, East Lothian, in 1942 he met his future wife, Marion, who was to become his life-long companion.
As a tank commander, Joseph saw action in France, including one of the decisive battles of the European campaign at Falaise, where Polish forces played an important part in closing the "Falaise Gap".
In October 1944, during the liberation of Breda in the Netherlands, his tank was the first to enter the town.
In 1947, having spent two years as part of the Allied peacekeeping force in Germany, he was demobilised and returned to Scotland to Marion, whom he had married two years previously.
William Carmichael, his father-in-law, had an established a motor business and Joseph now joined the family firm, qualifying as a motor engineer. The business, based at the Maybury Garage, Edinburgh, diversified from motor repairs to car sales.
In 1950, he decided to change his surname to that of his wife's family so their children would avoid any discrimination and to reflect also that he now regarded Scotland as his home.
During the 1950s, with cars in short supply, Joseph's abilities came to the fore and the business thrived. As a partner in the firm, he developed the business to become one of the largest motor companies in Scotland.
By the 1960s, the company was one of the foremost agents for MG cars and in 1965 led the way for discount petrol prices by selling Jet Petroleum in Scotland. Jet Petroleum was the first major oil company to sell petrol at discounted prices, similar to today's supermarket petrol stations.
In 1967 he purchased Laverockdale House, Colinton, one of Edinburgh's finest mansion houses, which was designed by Sir Robert Lorimer in 1906 for Sir James Ivory, a leading Scottish financier. At Laverockdale House, Joseph's great joy was to entertain his many friends and, in particular, for it to be the family home. Family was always the most important part of his life and to have his family around him at the many occasions at Laverockdale gave him great satisfaction.
By the 1970s, the Maybury Garage had expanded to become the Carmichael Motor Group, eventually having ten garages with more than 400 employees and the car franchises of Austin Rover, Jaguar, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce and Bentley. In 1985, the motor business closed down due to adverse trading conditions and the difficulties of selling Austin Rover cars.
In his retirement, Joseph spent his summers in Majorca where he was able to fulfil his passion for sailing and enjoy the hot continental summers of his youth. He shall always be remembered for his determination and zest for life, with his wife, Marion, and his family as his focal point.
He is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter and six grandchildren
The full article contains 787 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
