Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine Allan Burke (1953-60) died at his home in Lanzarote on 1 January 2018 following a long illness. J. Ross Baird (1952-64) writes: “After leaving Broomhill School to begin first year at Grammar, Alan quickly became a wanted man on the rugby pitch and played in the various year teams until eventually playing for Firsts where he was capped, fittingly alongside his second-row binding partner Bob Scace. “He also had a long association with the Scout movement, joining the17th Aberdeen Grammar Troop, and working his way up to assistant scout leader. It was during this time that he met a young cub leader, Freida Leslie, an ex-High School girl, who originally came from Keith. They married and had a son and a daughter, who have themselves gone on to marry and have Alan and Freida’s beloved grandchildren. “On leaving school Alan went to university in Aberdeen and went on to join Wiggins Teap in their trainee management programme. Again, he was successful in his endeavours and gained a high standing within the group, ultimately moving to Ivybridge in Devon to take over management of the paper mill there. Never forgetting his rugby roots he became heavily involved in the Ivybridge Rugby Club, and was instrumental in founding a clubhouse, with an extremely successful bar and social aspect. “During their time in Ivybridge, Alan and Freida spent their holiday time in Lanzarote, and became so entranced with the island that they bought a villa, spending many happy holidays there. Some years later, Alan decided to retire early and they took the decision to live permanently in Lanzarote. They built a beautiful villa in the hills of Conil, and spent many happy years, with Alan indulging his love of sailing and fishing, and Freida as a tireless worker for the Church. “Sadly, on the first day of 2018 Alan finally succumbed to pneumonia, after being ill for a time. Freida continued to live in Lanzarote until, just over a year later, she too succumbed to a similar ailment and passed away in April of this year.” Allan is survived by his older brother Douglas (1952-55).
Former Club President Richard Henry Whitby Cradock (1940-51) died peacefully after a short illness at his Aberdeen home on 21 May 2019. He was aged 85. In 1939 he was evacuated to Ballater and lived with boarders from Aberdeen High School For Girls, also evacuated. He returned as a boarder at the Grammar Boarding House. Dick’s lifelong sporting interests were first demonstrated at School where he was scrum-half in the 1st XV and wicket-keeper in the 1st XI. Called up for National Service in the RAF he was posted to Singapore as an Air Traffic Controller and played both Rugby and Golf for RAF Malaya and for 82
