Michael Francis Strachan

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

FRSE (1919–2000) was a 20th-century Scottish businessman who served as Director of the

Bank of Scotland The Bank of Scotland plc (Scottish Gaelic: ''Banca na h-Alba'') is a commercial and clearing bank based in Scotland and is part of the Lloyds Banking Group, following the Bank of Scotland's implosion in 2008. The bank was established by th ...

from 1972 to 1990. He also served with distinction in 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 ...

, alongside his wartime comrade,

Enoch Powell John Enoch Powell, (16 June 1912 – 8 February 1998) was a British politician, classical scholar, author, linguist, soldier, philologist, and poet. He served as a Conservative Member of Parliament (1950–1974) and was Minister of Health (1 ...

. As an author he was biographer of several obscure historical figures.

Life

He was born on 23 October 1919 the son of Francis William Strachan and his wife, Violet Blackwell Palmer. His father was a British Army officer of Scots descent and his mother was a wealthy widow from the

Crosse & Blackwell Crosse & Blackwell is a British food brand. The original company was established in London in 1706, then was acquired by Edmund Crosse and Thomas Blackwell in 1830. It became independent until it was acquired by Swiss conglomerate Nestlé in 1960. ...

fortune. He was raised on a country estate in

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

. He was educated privately at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

. He spent some time at

Berlin University Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

in 1938, witnessing the demonstrations surrounding the invasion of Sudetenland. He then won a place at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. His university career was interrupted by the

and in 1940 he the Lothian and Border Horse Regiment (he was an able horseman). He was employed to interrogate captured German pilots due to his knowledge of German. He then joined Military Intelligence. A few weeks later he met

for the first time. Powell asked for Strachan as his second-in-command and they spent most of the war together. This included

Operation Claymore Operation Claymore was a British commando raid on the Norwegian Lofoten Islands during the Second World War. The Lofoten Islands were an important centre for the production of fish oil and glycerine, used in the German war economy. The landing ...

, a commando raid on the

Lofoten Islands Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolvæ ...

in 1941, plus a long-time posting to GHQ Middle East, based in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

. In July 1943 they made a journey by truck together, from

Tangiers Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the capi ...

. He was then promoted to Brigade Major of the 26th Armoured Brigade and saw fierce action with them in Italy including the

Battle of the Argenta Gap The Battle of the Argenta Gap was an engagement which formed part of the Allied spring 1945 offensive during the Italian campaign in the final stages of the Second World War. It took place in northern Italy from 12 to 19 April 1945 between tr ...

(April 1945). He ended the war at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and spent 1945/6 as a staff officer in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. He won a Military MBE in 1945 and was also Mentioned in Dispatches. He returned to Cambridge after the war in 1947 but changed course from Modern Languages to Economics. He graduated MA in 1949 and obtained a post with William Thomson & Co in

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by ''Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

who were the operators of the

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

branch of the Ben Line Shipping Company. In 1970 he became Chairman of Ben Line Steamers Ltd and Ben Line Containers Ltd, creating the Ben Line Ship Management Ltd in 1973. From 1972 (whilst still operating the Ben Line) he became a non-executive Director of the

. In 1979 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were

John Cameron, Lord Cameron John Cameron, Lord Cameron, KT, DSC, PRSE, FBA (8 February 1900 – 30 May 1996) was a Scottish judge and President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh from 1973 to 1976. Life Cameron was born in London, the son of John Cameron SSC NP, a so ...

, Anthony Elliot Ritchie, Robert Allan Smith and Sir John Atwell. He was a Trustee of the National Library of Scotland and of the Carnegie Trust for Scottish University. He was also a member of the

Royal Company of Archers The Royal Company of Archers, The King's Bodyguard for Scotland is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland—a role it has performed since 1822 during the reign of King George IV when the company provided a per ...

. In 1980 his MBE was upgraded by Queen Elizabeth II to a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE). He was also a member of the

Hakluyt Society The Hakluyt Society is a text publication society, founded in 1846 and based in London, England, which publishes scholarly editions of Primary source, primary records of historic voyages, travels and other geographical material. In addition to it ...

. He retired from the Ben Line in 1982 but continued as a Director of the Bank of Scotland until 1990. He died on 30 November 2000.

Family

In 1948 he married Iris Hemingway. They had two sons and two daughters. From 1970 they lived in "Glenhighton" in the village of Broughton in the Scottish Borders. He also had a large Edinburgh house at 9 Newbattle Terrace in the Morningside district.

Publications

*''The Life and Adventures of

Thomas Coryate Thomas Coryat (also Coryate) (c. 15771617) was an English traveller and writer of the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean age. He is principally remembered for two volumes of writings he left regarding his travels, often on foot, through ...

'' (1962) *''The

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

Journals of Captain William Keeling and Master Thomas Bonner, 1615 to 1617'' (1971) *''Teaching the Professor'' (1987) - his exploits with

*''Sir

Thomas Roe Sir Thomas Roe ( 1581 – 6 November 1644) was an English diplomat of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. Roe's voyages ranged from Central America to India; as ambassador, he represented England in the Mughal Empire, the Ottoman Empire ...

1581-1644: A Life'' (1989) *''The Ben Line 1825-1992'' (1992) *'' Esmond de Beer (1895-1990): Scholar and Benefactor'' (1995)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strachan, Michael Francis 1919 births 2000 deaths People educated at Rugby School Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh British biographers British Army personnel of World War II 20th-century British businesspeople Lothians and Border Horse officers