Leonard Douglas
19th December 1934 – 5th November 2020
Born in Eskbank, younger son of Mary and Abie Douglas, his main education was at Merchiston Castle School. After school he did National Service in the Royal Corps of Signals. He attended the general OCTU in Aldershot and the Signals OCTU in Catterick. Attached to Cambridge University OCTU he commanded the Signals Section while at Queens’ where he read a Natural Science Tripos Part1. In his final year, he read Electrical Engineering Studies. He took up shooting in the University SRA team and small bore representing the University in the second team v Oxford. He entered the Cambridge University Car Club Little Rally coming 3rd and winning the novice trophy.
After University, he worked as a development engineer with Ferranti before moving to Bruce Peebles as a sales engineer. Next was Company Secretary and Technical Consultant with Wm Dow of Kilmarnock before re-joining Ferranti as a Subcontractor Technical Liaison Engineer. Later he managed the Production Control department and became Deputy Chief Inspector and Quality Manager for the Test Gear Group. From Ferranti he joined Associated Industrial Consultants as a management consultant and later Plessey Company. In 1978, he joined the City of Edinburgh District Council as a Principal Management Services Officer before joining the Scottish Universities Management Services and Efficiency Unit and finally the NHS in Scotland as an Information Consultant in the Health Systems Division until his retirement in 1997. He became Branch Secretary of the Edinburgh Branch of the British Institute of Management in 1965 and subsequently became a Fellow. He also joined the Institute of Management Consultants in 1970 and became a Fellow of that Institute.
His private life saw him continuing to shoot and race. He competed in rallies, auto test sprints and races as a member of the CUAC, 55 Car Club, Lothian Car Club and the Border Mo-tor Racing Club driving a variety of Volkswagens, a Lotus 7 Series 1 and the ex-Jim Clark Porsche UUL 442 until his marriage to Heather in 1961. In 1973, he joined the scout movement as an assistant leader in the 23rd Edinburgh where he served until 1991. He returned to motor sport in 1974 as an official at Ingliston and later at Knockhill acting as Observer. He took up racing again in the Citroen 2 CV Scottish Championship coming third in 1991. He then transferred to the Andyspares Championship run mostly in England with races in France, Belgium and Ireland including the annual 24-hour race at Mondello Park. He shot with the West Edinburgh Rifle Club before moving to the Borders when he joined the Selkirk Rifle Club.
His other hobbies included reading, music, walking, computing, travel, theatre and concert going. His DIY interests continued with the purchase of a holiday cottage in 1987, which was derelict – Glenlude House. This was reasonably habitable by 1992 but the work continued for several more years. In this, he received considerable support from his second wife Joyce (m. 1982, d. 2019), his sons and friends. After his retirement, he became active in the Church acting as Treasurer for Traquair Parish as well as being ordained Elder. He was elected to the Innerleithen Traquair and Glen Community Council as Treasurer. From this, he launched an access to the countryside group as well as holding the roads and transport portfolio. He also joined the Senior Executive Programme of Scottish Business in the Community. He served on the Committee of Victim Support Scottish Borders and the Committee of Elder Voice.
Len is survived by his sons, Neil and Simon (Cambridge 1985 - 1986).
Neil Douglas
3rd June 2021
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