Former managing director of Caledonian Seafood and inventor of frozen battered fish, Byron Junior Boyd Bellamy, has died aged 87.
Fishing family
The second of three children for Byron and Muriel Bellamy from Fulstow near Grimsby, Junior was born into a family and a town with fishing at its core.
His early years were spent at the village school, then he attended St Hugh’s preparatory school in Lincolnshire. However, it was time spent at home during holidays when he developed a lifelong passion for shooting and fishing, with his father and grandfather.
At the age of 11 Junior’s mother died in Switzerland following a long illness. Her death and his grief profoundly affected him from then on. After that he continued his education at Sedbergh Public School, near the Lake District.
Happy memories
Throughout his life he recalled the Sedbergh days with fondness, sharing stories of sports, hill running, fishing and cold baths. It was also there he met lifelong friend Robin Fowler, who introduced him to the world of antiques, in particular, grandfather clocks. He would eventually own 24 such clocks all chiming on the hour.
Following a family move to Aberdeen, Junior continued his schooling at Robert Gordon’s College. The family home – Holmwood, on Seafield Road – is now the Palm Court Hotel.
Mr Bellamy senior ran a fish factory and Junior persuaded his dad to let him work there in the morning, and study for his Highers in the afternoon. After leaving school he did two years’ National Service with the RAF, and afterwards spent a year in France.
Caledonian Seafoods
After learning the ropes on the fish market and in the factory, Junior’s father sold the business to Ross’s Fish.
Junior was appointed managing director, but became disillusioned by the oversight from the company headquarters so made plans to start his own fish processing business. Caledonian Seafoods Limited was launched in Torry. He then moved his company to Mintlaw, into a converted egg-packing station, as Peterhead had become the main fish port in the north-east.
Over the course of his lifetime in the fish trade he employed around 1000 people.
Frozen batter inventor
He also held the patent and is credited with inventing a unique form of batter for frozen fish. Disillusioned by conventional batter mixes that came away from the fish as it hit hot oil Junior formulate his own recipe that stuck to the product. The end result was a hot battered fish, from frozen, that resembled the same thing cooked from fresh.
The Campbell’s Soup Company are among those who cited Junior’s patented formula in their products in the 1990s.
Family man
After a divorce from his first wife Margaret, Junior married Jane Stratton on July 1 1972. He had two children, Tania and Dale, during his first marriage, and Eliza and Robyn with Jane.
Jane and Junior celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in July. He spent his retirement as a proud papa to his 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Building ponds and stocking them with fish to keep otters and heron fed, or helping his girls with their horses, were among his favourite ways to pass the time. He loved feeding and watching swans, ducks and their offspring – earning the nickname ‘swan man’.
Also known for his love of cars, especially his Porsche, he died peacefully at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on November 9. He had previously been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. His funeral took place at St Drostan’s Episcopal Church, Old Deer on Friday November 25.
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