Helensburgh Heritage
Helensburgh Heritage Trust
IT is quite a journey from cycling around the town on behalf of the Helensburgh Gas Company to a senior post at the United Nations, but that is what happened to a lass from Shandon.
Margaret Gillatt Orr Allan, who left the burgh in 1925 and died in New York in 1982, finished her career as Head of Documents at the UN and retired in 1965, two years after she received the MBE.
THE Kidstons of Ferniegair have lived in and been involved with Helensburgh since the 1830s, and were notable benefactors in many aspects of burgh life.
In one of the obituaries in the local paper it was said: "The name of Kidston is writ large in all the recreative and philanthropic institutions of our beautiful town."
A MATHEMATICIAN from Helensburgh is considered to have been one of the outstanding problem-solvers of 20th century maths.
John Hammersley, who was born in Morefield, Granville Street, on March 21 1920, formulated many problems of significance for theoretical and applied science, and made remarkable progress towards their solutions.
BORN Susan McGlone in 1847, Susie, or Suzy, as her name was sometimes spelled, was a well-known character, not only at Portincaple, where she lived for many years until her death, but also much further afield as well.
Susie's personality alone would probably have been enough to make her a local celebrity, but the extra factor that ensured her a place in the hall of fame lay in the fact that home was an upturned boat.
A CARDROSS man who has spent most of his life in Canada is a proud holder of the highest honour of the International Metallographic Society and a renowned expert witness.
Dr Iain Le May, whose speed skater daughter Catriona is the only individual Canadian to win back to back Olympic gold medals, received the honour in 2005.
A HELENSBURGH man who became a professor of mathematics at the age of 33 was the author of important mathematical books and a key figure in establishing maths in Australia.
Horatio Scott Carslaw, ScD, DSc, LLD, FRS, was born in the burgh on February 12 1870, the fifth son of Free Church minister and religious author the Rev William Henderson Carslaw DD and his wife Elizabeth, and educated at Glasgow Academy where his talent was identified.
THE son of a Helensburgh parks superintendent grew up to become the best known face in Scottish horticulture.
Gardening expert James H.McColl, MBE, known to all as Jim, was the long-serving presenter of the BBC TV series The Beechgrove Garden — but retired from the TV potting shed in April 2019.