Surprise honour for Gairloch war veteran
A BLACK Watch veteran of the Korean War from Gairloch has been given a surprise honour for his fundraising work for the Erskine care charity for ex-service men and women in Scotland.
Harold “Harry” Davis (80) — at the forefront of a campaign which has raised more than £500,000 in recent years — was stunned to discover he has been immortalised in the opening of an innovation at one of the charity’s homes.
Harry was severely wounded in 1951 during the conflict, resulting in him being hospitalised for more than two years, but three years later signed for Rangers, playing 261 league games and scoring eight goals between 1956 and 1964.
He was, therefore, seen as the obvious choice as president for the Rangers Supporters Erskine Appeal (RSEA) when it was set up by avid Rangers fan Tom Clark in 2007, with the aim of raising £1,000 for the home.
Seven years on, and under Harry’s leadership, the campaign has raised more than £554,000 for the cause.
Tom told the Ross-shire Journal: “Harold was the perfect figurehead for our fundraising initiative.
“Rangers’ greatest ever player, John Greig, described ‘Big Harry’ as the man who taught him how to tackle. As well as being one of the Rangers ‘greats’, Harry later moved to Gairloch, where he built and operated a hotel. He was a keen hillwalker and angler and, when he retired, he provided holidays for anglers, offering them bed and breakfast at his home in the village and taking them up to the hill lochs in the area.
“He gives all the cash he makes at this to the Erskine appeal and has, since retiring and with the help of his wife Vi, personally raised more than £6,000 for Erskine.”
The latest facility to be opened recently at the Erskine home in Bishopton, in Renfrewshire — through £4,500 raised by RSEA — is a sensory room providing a calm, relaxing atmosphere for patients suffering from dementia and peaceful surroundings for those at the end of their lives.
And, naturally, Harry was asked along to do the honours at the opening.
Tom described how the occasion ended in a pleasant surprise for the old soldier.
He said: “We decided to dedicate the room to a fine old bluenose who had passed away in 2013 — former Black Watch soldier and Erskine resident Alex Johnstone. But Harry was not told we had also decided to call the facility after him as the Harold Davis Sensory Room — and it came as a big surprise for him when he unveiled the plaque at the opening.
“He was truly humbled, slightly embarrassed and lost for words when he viewed it for the first time.”
Tom joked: “He told me later that, if the minister wasn’t there, he’d have given me what for and stuck one on my chin! Vi says, however, he was very pleased.”
Anyone who wishes to donate to the cause can do so online via the justgiving page here.
