Colonel Sir Allan MacDonald Gilmour of Invernauld, KCVO OBE MC of Rosehall, was a British soldier and politician. He was also the former lord lieutenant of Sutherland. He was popularly called "Uncle Allan" and was well known for the North African campaign against

General Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

Early life and education

Allan Gilmour was the only son of his father, Captain Allan Gilmour of Rosehall and Mary Macdonald of Portree. Captain Gilmour died at the age of 28 years from injuries sustained in Salmah, Macedonia, a year after his son was born. He served with the

Lovat Scouts The Lovat Scouts was a British Army unit first formed during the Second Boer War as a Scottish Highland yeomanry regiment of the British Army. They were the first known military unit to wear a ghillie suit and in 1916 formally became the British ...

in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Dardanelles campaign. He received his primary education at Cargilfield Preparatory School in Edinburgh and proceeded to

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

for his secondary school studies. He attended

Trinity College, Oxford (That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody) , named_for = The Holy Trinity , established = , sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge , president = Dame Hilary Boulding , location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH , coordinates ...

, where he read history.

Military career

Gilmour joined the

in 1937 where he obtained his commission. He then joined the Seaforth Highlanders in 1939. Between 1942 and 1943, he was with the 2nd Seaforth in the

51st Highland Division The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was raised in 1908, upon the creation of the Territorial Force, as ...

of the 8th Army in the North Africa campaign. He was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

at the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented th ...

, with a Bar to the MC for further displays of courage in the face of the German Afrika Korps at the Battle of Wadi Akarit. He took part in the invasion of Sicily. He returned to the United Kingdom in 1943. From 1944, he served in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, and in Germany where he received the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

from the United States. Following the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, he had various staff appointments. He also served with the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

of the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

and later became a military and infantry instructor in the Middle East and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. He also served in Aden. He served as Chief of staff of the

Ghana Army The Ghana Army (GA) is the main ground warfare organizational military branch of the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). In 1959, two years after the Gold Coast obtained independence as Ghana, the Gold Coast Regiment was withdrawn from the Royal Wes ...

as a Lieutenant Colonel. He also served in the Congo. One of his last appointments was with the 11th Seaforth Highlanders (TA). At the time of his retirement in 1967, he was a Colonel of the Queens Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) from Headquarters,

Scottish Command Scottish Command or Army Headquarters Scotland (from 1972) is a command of the British Army. History Early history Great Britain was divided into military districts on the outbreak of war with France in 1793. The Scottish District was comman ...

, Edinburgh.

Other activities

Gilmour was elected as a member of Sutherland County Council in 1970. he was elected as the first chairman of the new Sutherland District Council in 1974, a position he held until 1987. He continued on the Housing Committee until prior to the elections in 1994. He represented the Dornoch, Creich, and Kincardine wards on the

Highland Regional Council Highland ( gd, A' Ghàidhealtachd, ; sco, Hieland) is a council areas of Scotland, council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in the United Kingdom. It was the 7th most populous council area in Scotland at ...

at its inception in 1974. He was also on the Highland Health Board and was its chairman from 1985 to 1987. He has also served as the chairman of the East Sutherland Council of Social Service and as a board member of the Scottish National Orchestra Society. He has also chaired the Highland River Purification Board. He was appointed deputy lieutenant for Sutherland in 1971 and the Queen's lord lieutenant in 1972. He received his knighthood (KCVO) in 1991.

Accident at Bonar Bridge

Gilmour had his tie caught in his fan belt at Bonar Bridge on his way to a meeting at Dornoch. A French couple noticed his predicament and rescued him. His friends subsequently bought him lots of bow-ties to prevent a repeat.

Family

He married Jean Wood, who was from a Seaforth Highlander family in Nairn in 1941. They had three sons and a daughter. She died in a fire in 2015. After his retirement, they settled at his home, Invernauld House at Sutherland.

Death

He died at age 86 at

Migdale Hospital The Migdale Hospital is a health facility in Bonar Bridge, Scotland. It is managed by NHS Highland. History The facility has its origins in the Sutherland Combination Poorhouse which was designed by Andrew Maitland and completed in 1865. It jo ...

Bonar Bridge Bonar Bridge ( gd, Drochaid a' Bhanna, ) is a village on the north bank of the Kyle of Sutherland to the west and the Dornoch Firth to the east in the Parish of Creich in the Highland council area of Scotland. The Kyle of Sutherland ("the Kyl ...

. He was buried at the Invershin Cemetery,

Creich Creich ( gd, Craoich, ) is a substantial parish on the north side of the Dornoch Firth the largest settlement being Bonar Bridge. It lies in Sutherland, Scotland. There is a church (now in ruins) and graveyard for the Parish of Creich. Creich M ...

, Sutherland, next to his mother.

References

External source

Sir Allan Gilmour Soldier and former lord lieutenant of SutherlandDeath of Lady Jean Gilmour in house fire leaves community reeling (Also shows picture of Allan Gilmour and wife)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilmour, Allan People educated at Cargilfield School Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford People educated at Winchester College Recipients of the Military Cross Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Officers of the Order of the British Empire British Army personnel of World War II Ghanaian military personnel 1916 births 2003 deaths Military personnel from Edinburgh