Born: 26 February, 1911.
Died 10 March, 2008, in Glasgow, aged 97. WILLIAM Bowie, MBE, MC, had been appointed to the executive committee of Erskine Hospital in 1952 and remained a lifelong supporter. His commitment to E
rskine, and other ex-service organisations, had been forged during distinguished war service with the First Battalion HLI. Loyalty to family, friends and wartime comrades was a constant thread through Willie Bowie's long and richly fulfilled life.
An early education at Glasgow Academy and Warriston was followed by Sedbergh School in Cumbria, where he proved himself an all-round sportsman, and Glasgow University, where he gained a degree in philosophy. Entering the family laundry business, he was soon supporting his elder brother, John, as they jointly took the business forward. Post-war, traditional domestic laundry began to falter and the introduction of garment rental to industry, and the pioneering of launderettes, were critical to the firm's continuing success.
A strong Christian faith permeated his life and found expression in his role as a church elder at Kelvinside-Hillhead for more than 50 years; in his commitment to the Boys' Brigade within the Glasgow Battalion, of which he was president 1965-72; and as a director of the Bible Institute of Scotland. He was appointed an MBE in 1986.
Willie's keen interest in the visual arts was enhanced by his membership of an informal group of four knowledgeable and active art collectors in Glasgow, of whom the sole survivor is Norman Macfarlane, now Lord Macfarlane of Bearsden. Willie and Norman, with the brothers General Jock Macfie and Professor Alec Macfie, formed a close friendship based on a shared appreciation of Scottish Colourists.
As a group they took great interest in each other's collections, contributing the perspectives of their own personal and professional backgrounds.
Willie's collection, in many ways, showed the greatest consistency, based on his finely tuned discernment and his well-recognised business acumen. Willie was still purchasing from contemporary artists in 2007.
The ease and confidence with which Willie lived his life must surely have been significantly grounded by his wartime experiences. He quickly proved a gifted officer, initially in the retreat to Dunkirk and latterly as a company commander in the fraught advance across northern Europe. The First Battalion's history records his famed "walk of death" technique, advancing only yards behind the line of exploding British shells.
Observers claimed he seemed to know the second the artillery would move their line of fire forward by another 100 yards. As the shells exploded, Major Bowie and his men would be almost immediately behind. Not one to draw attention to himself, his assertion was readily accepted that: "It did seem unusual to people at the time that my company suffered far fewer casualties than others well behind the line."
His tactical awareness and personal courage were marked by his award of the Military Cross in February 1945 and the citation includes the words: "Fierce resistance from Spandau posts in the village was only subdued after a considerable period, during which time Major Bowie controlled the battle with the greatest coolness and skill, from exposed positions and under continuous mortar and machine gun fire … he set a fine example of coolness and disregard for his own safety … and the battalion was able to gain the final objective without undue delay."
As a nonagenarian, Willie continued to nurture old friendships and gather new ones. Partly this was a genuine interest in people and their activities but, more than that, he brought to every occasion a beguiling mix of the proper and the mischievous. His infectious gaiety of spirit won him an enduring circle of friends.
With no direct family of his own, he was a greatly loved uncle to his brother John's children, Patricia, John, Diana and Gaie.
The full article contains 636 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
