Our family tree

Leah and Xavi's Pop.

Pops dad was the local policeman, which at the time was a very prestigious job. The policeman was responsible for making sure everyone in the village behaved, so it was expected that the policemans children would be well behaved.

Pop was the youngest of nine children, so he would have learned all the tricks to get around his dad from his older brothers and sisters.

When Pop was growing up, there was no TV, few cars and most goods were shipped into the village by sea.

I've heard a few stories from Pops childhood. One was about the culag bar. At the time it was the first building on the left as you reach the harbour and it had a peat fire roaring in the hearth every night. One day Pop noticed a tree next to the bar and how the branches overhung the roof of the bar. He climbed the tree and dropped on to the roof of the bar. Then he laid a couple of peats over the top of the chimney. This meant that the smoke couldn't go up, so it went into the bar. Everyone in the bar were too busy drinking to notice that it was getting more and more smokey. Pop waited until you could barely see through the windows. Then he and his friend led a horse into the bar and ran away.

Pop loved music and he rarely went anywhere without his accordian. When he was younger he played in bands at the village hall.

When Pop was 12 the second world war started. He said it had little effect on Lochinver, except that the local landlord evacuated his sons from London to go to school in Lochinver - Edmund Vestey became a good friend, as they sat together at school - and the ships that brought supplies weren't as regular.

His brothers and a couple of sisters were in the police in London and one of his brothers was in the RAF, so it would still have been a little worrying.

When he was 16, Pop signed up to join the army and was recruited by the Seaforth Highlanders. He went through basic training and finished it just as Germany surrendered. He then was put through jungle training as Japan was still in the war. After months of jungle training, he was posted to Germany!

When he was there, every day the officers called for volunteers for a "plum job". The plum job was normally digging latrines or peeling veg. One day his friend pushed him forward and he was "volunteered". Pop was lucky. The job was driving a truck. His driving test was to drive down an airfield runway, turn round and drive back. He passed (and later became an instructor for the same test).

Pop spent the rest of his time in the army driving a truck through Germany. He brought home watches, accordians and binoculars for his friends when he swapped them for his rations.

After the war, Pop worked on local fishing boats and he met Jean Taylor in the local hotel. They were married in 1951.

Pop always wanted his own fishing boat - other than music, fishing was the main thing that interested him - and he saved up to buy the Golden Emblem in 1957. His brother Donnie was a partner and co-owner, but Pop saved really hard to buy his share also.

Here are a couple of pictures of Pops boat. The first we think is at Buckie harbour shortly after she was launched. Pop is the one hunched over the winch. I think Ringo, Alistair and Vida are all on the boat. The second photo shows the Emblem as my dad remembers her - the white house in the background is Ardglas, where my dad grew up

He fished with the Golden Emblem for nearly 40 years and despite being one of the smaller boats, he made sure that it was one of the best fishers in the fleet.

Pop often fished closer to shore than was strictly legal and he treated avoiding the fisheries protection boat as a great game.

Like many fishermen, Pop had his superstitions. Although never religious, he refused to learn to swim because "if it's the time for you to be taken, there's no point in fighting it". He also reckoned one lady in the village was a witch (Kate the Bird) and she put a "buisneach" on the fishing. If he saw her on the way to the boat in the morning, he would turn back home as he knew they would catch nothing. This meant that the entire crew went without a days wages!

As well as running the boat, Pop was also coxwain of the local lifeboat. Sometimes when there was a boat in trouble, they had to abandon their nets and head for home and meet the lifeboat on the way out. Pop would leap from one boat to the other to get to the rescue.

In 1993 Pop was made chieftain of the local highland games. It was the one time in his life he wore a kilt.

When he retired from fishing, Pop helped granny run her guest house - he usually burnt the toast.

My mum says pop was a gentle giant. He rarely had a bad word to say about anyone. My dad though remembers him tellign lots of (really bad) jokes.

Everyone though will always remember him for his boxie. At the slightest excuse he would ring it out and play - and he would sit for hours just playing tunes to himself. Pop had an amazing ear for musi. He could hear a tune once and play it on the accordian right after.