A Boys Brigade stalwart whose decades of service to his home town gained him the affectionate name “Mr Fraserburgh” has been remembered for his dedication and “larger than life personality”.
Henry Duthie MBE, who has died aged 96, played an active role in all aspects of life in the Broch.
He was chairman of the Fraserburgh 400 Committee in 1992 when the town celebrated its quatercentenary with a plethora of activities and events, culminating in a visit from The Queen and Prince Philip.
One of those events, the Fraserburgh 400 Pageant, was three years in the making and created memories that will last the lifetime of many Brochers who took part.
Mr Duthie was as well-known for his association with the Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society – as a founder member, producer and performer in amateur theatre – and for his service to the 4th Boys Brigade Company for over thirty years.
He served as a Lieutenant before taking on the role as Captain for 31 years until his retirement in 1986.
Next of kin, Karen McKilliop, said working with young people had been a “key element” in his public service career, which began with a youth club at the West Church, Fraserburgh.
She said: “He also spent twelve years as a member of Banff and Buchan Children’s Panel, including a spell as chairman, and for a time, chairman of the Board of Management of Fraserburgh North School and chairman of the Fraserburgh Family Resource Centre.”
Current captain of the 4th Fraserburgh Boys’ Brigade, Martin Dunbar, has many fond memories of Mr Duthie from when he first joined the Boys Brigade, aged 12.
Mr Dunbar said: “He was a larger than life character who touched the lives of many.
“I’m sure lots of people who have gone through the Boys Brigade will have fond memories of him as I do.
“He loved being the centre of attention and you could always hear him before you could see him. He was so devoted to the Boy’s Brigade and he always had a smile on his face.”
Mr Dunbar added: “Through his involvement with the Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society, he got the Boys Brigade involved in some drama too.
“I remember it was a summer show and some of the boys couldn’t do it.
“I was playing football and he came out and said I want you, you and you to do it.
“I was quite shy at the time but he got me on the stage doing something I thought I wouldn’t be able to do.”
Mr Duthie was also one of the founding members of the Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society.
Secretary Alice Irvine said: “He just had this aura about him. He was someone everyone looked up to.”
Born at College Bounds in Fraserburgh, Mr Duthie left school at age 14 to became a message boy with Lipton’s the grocer.
He became a police messenger and then member of the Home Guard and was also a member of the local bomb disposal squad.
In 1940, he moved to Fraserburgh’s C.P.T. (Toolies) factory – a reserved occupation -but cut short his stay to enlist, succeeding by claiming he was a grocer.
He joined the Royal Scots and later the Kings Own Scottish Borderers with whom he landed in Normandy in France on D Day +16.
Proud of his town and a knowledgeable historian, in later life he was an active volunteer guide at Fraserburgh Heritage Centre. He was also a keen gardener.
His MBE marked years of dedicated service to the community, but Mr Duthie always said it was an MBE for the whole community.
In recent years, he had suffered with reduced mobility but Mrs McKillop said: “He could be seen using the town service bus, interacting with young and old.”
