Alasdair Hutton | |
---|---|
Member of the European Parliament for South of Scotland | |
In office 1979–1989 | |
Succeeded by | Alex Smith |
Personal details | |
Born | Alasdair Henry Hutton 19 May 1940 London,England |
Citizenship | United Kingdom |
Nationality | Scottish |
Political party | Scottish Conservative Party |
Spouse | Deirdre Mary Hutton (div.) |
Children | Thomas,Nicholas |
Profession | Journalist,politician,announcer,writer |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Branch/service | Territorial Army |
Years of service | 1964–1986 |
Rank | Major |
Alasdair Henry Hutton OBE TD (born 19 May 1940) is a British writer and narrator for public events and concerts,including the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Born in London in 1940,Hutton's house was hit by a bomb three months later,and the family moved to Scotland. [1] Identifying as a Scot,Hutton was educated at Dollar Academy.
Following the death of his father,he moved to Brisbane,Queensland,Australia at fourteen years-of-age,with his mother and two siblings. [2] He continued briefly at Brisbane State High School,which named him among its most distinguished alumni in 2019 and was inducted as a State High "Legend" in 2021. [2]
After school hours,Hutton and other students had been taking part in a 4BH programme Rumpus room,including introducing records with the presenter. The following year,walking in and talking to the manager,he got his first job in commercial radio station 4BH in Brisbane at 15. [1] He worked as a journalist on The Age newspaper in Melbourne before he returned to Scotland to become a reporter for The Aberdeen Press and Journal and Evening Express and then a broadcaster with the BBC in Scotland,London and Northern Ireland. He also trained as a film director and was a producer with BBC Radio Shetland.
Hutton became a Territorial Army paratrooper with 15th (Scottish Volunteer) Parachute Battalion (15 Para) with which he served from 1964 to 1986, [3] commencing as a second lieutenant in June 1965. [4]
He also served with Central Volunteer Headquarters (CVHQ) attached to 1st (United Kingdom) Division for the next ten years and as Honorary Colonel of the Lothian and Borders Battalion of the Army Cadet Force,from 2006 to 2009.[ citation needed ]
He served for ten years as a Scottish Conservative Party Member of the European Parliament for the South of Scotland European Parliament constituency between 1979 and 1989, [5] and later served as a local councillor on Scottish Borders Council representing Kelso from 2002 to 2012. He was convener for nine years from 2003 to 2012.[ citation needed ]
Hutton became the storyteller and writer of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 1992, [5] bringing together his experience in broadcasting,with his weekend "hobby" as a TA paratrooper. [6] Since then he has gone on to become an experienced presenter of tattoos and big shows in the English-speaking world. [6]
Since 1988,Hutton has been a member of the Queen's Bodyguard for Scotland,the Royal Company of Archers.
In 1997 Hutton self-published an anecdotal history of his TA Parachute Battalion,15 Para:1947–1993. From there Hutton went onto to publish several children's books,an autobiography of his twenty-five years as storyteller and writer of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo,edited a book on Scottish nursery rhymes,and published a children-focused book on Sir Walter Scott.
Hutton married now-Dame Deirdre Hutton DBE ,nine years his junior,by whom he has two sons,Thomas and Nicholas Hutton. [7] [ dead link ] [8] [ failed verification ] They are now divorced. He resides in Kelso.
He is a founder member of the Robert Burns World Federation Guild of Speakers. He is or has also been patron and convener,Borders Talking Newspaper;Trustee,LiveBorders;Life member and former chairman,Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott Club;Former chairman and vice-president,John Buchan Society;Chairman,South East Scotland Committee,Saint John Scotland;President,Edinburgh,Lothians and Border Area,Royal British Legion Scotland; [6] President,Kelso Branch,Royal British Legion Scotland;President,Scotland and Northern Ireland Region,Parachute Regimental Association;Elder,Kelso North Church of Scotland.
Hutton was appointed a member to the Order of the British Empire in 1986 for military service [9] [1] and raised to Officer in 1989, [10] 'for political service'. Awarded the Territorial Decoration in 1977,Hutton was invested as a Serving Brother of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem in 2014 [11] and raised to Officer in 2020. [12]
Abbotsford is a historic country house in the Scottish Borders,near Galashiels,on the south bank of the River Tweed. Now open to the public,it was built as the residence of historical novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott between 1817 and 1825. It is a Category A Listed Building and the estate is listed in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.
Sir Walter Scott,1st Baronet,was a British novelist,poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature,notably the novels Ivanhoe (1819),Rob Roy (1817),Waverley (1814),Old Mortality (1816),The Heart of Mid-Lothian (1818),and The Bride of Lammermoor (1819),along with the narrative poems Marmion (1808) and The Lady of the Lake (1810). He had a major impact on European and American literature.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of military tattoos performed by British Armed Forces,Commonwealth and international military bands,and artistic performance teams on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in the capital of Scotland. The event is held each August as one of the Edinburgh Festivals.
James Ballantyne was a Scottish solicitor,editor and publisher who worked for his friend Sir Walter Scott. His brother John Ballantyne (1774–1821) was also with the publishing firm,which is noted for the publication of the Novelist's Library (1820),and many works edited or written by Scott.
Kelso is a market town in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Roxburghshire,it lies where the rivers Tweed and Teviot have their confluence. The town has a population of 5,639 according to the 2011 census and based on the 2010 definition of the locality.
Clan Scott is a Scottish clan and is recognised as such by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. Historically the clan was based in the Scottish Borders.
Schomberg Henry Kerr,9th Marquess of Lothian,,styled Lord Schomberg Kerr until 1870,was a British diplomat and Conservative politician. He served as Secretary for Scotland under Lord Salisbury between 1887 and 1892. He was usually styled simply as Lothian.
Longformacus is a small village in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is around 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north-west of Duns,in the Lammermuir Hills. The Dye Water runs through the village,flowing east towards its confluence with the Whiteadder Water nearby.
HQ 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland is a Regional Point of Command,Brigade of the British Army.
James Grant (1822–1887) was a Scottish novelist and miscellaneous writer.
Dame Deirdre Mary Hutton,is a British public servant,termed by The Daily Telegraph as "Queen of the Quangos" and "The great quango hopper". She was the chair of the UK's Civil Aviation Authority from 2009 to 2020.
Thomas Kelman Fleming,FRSAMD was a Scottish actor,director,and poet,and a television and radio commentator for the BBC.
The Borders Abbeys Way is a long-distance footpath in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is a circular walkway and is 109 kilometres (68 mi) in length. The theme of the footpath is the ruined Borders abbeys along its way:Kelso Abbey,Jedburgh Abbey,Melrose Abbey and Dryburgh Abbey. These abbeys were homes to monks,who lived there between the 12th and 16th centuries. The route also passes through the towns of Hawick and Selkirk,and close to Abbotsford House,the home of Sir Walter Scott. Along the Borders Abbeys Way there are several rivers:Jed Water,River Teviot,River Tweed,Ale Water,and Rule Water.
Sir Adam Ferguson (1770–1854) was deputy keeper of the regalia in Scotland.
The Writers’Museum,housed in Lady Stair's House at the Lawnmarket on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh,presents the lives of three of the foremost Scottish writers:Robert Burns,Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. Run by the City of Edinburgh Council,the collection includes portraits,works and personal objects. Beside the museum lies the Makars' Court,the country's emerging national literary monument.
Adam Kelso Fulton was a Scottish rugby union internationalist.
Events from the year 1802 in Scotland.
The Hon. Mary Monica Maxwell-Scott was a Scottish author of historical novels and non-fiction and the great-granddaughter of the novelist Walter Scott.
Major General John Edward Utterson-Kelso,(1893–1972) was a British Army officer.