Gavin Vernon

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Gavin Vernon (born, August 11, 1926, died March 19, 2004) was a participant in the removal of the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey, London, England on Christmas Day, 1950.

The son of a doctor, originally from Kintore, Aberdeenshire, he attended the University of Glasgow where he studied electrical engineering. He was a member of the Scottish Covenant Association led by John MacCormick (who aided the effort to bring the stone back to Scotland). Vernon was recruited to the team to bring back the stone by Ian Hamilton, and on December 22, 1950 the two, along with Kay Matheson and Alan Stuart headed for London to collect the stone.

They successfully managed to bring the stone back to Scotland (although they broke it in two whilst removing it from the Abbey, necessitating the use of a sympathetic stonemason to repair it) sparking a national hunt for the stone. It was eventually found in Arbroath Abbey in April 1951 when the participants in the reclamation tipped off the authorities that it would be found there.

Vernon was interviewed about the event by the police, but like the other participants was never charged in relation to it.

He later emigrated to Canada in the 1960s where he continued to work in engineering, his work taking him all over the world. After living in Saskatchewan he settled in British Columbia where he lived the rest of his days. He was involved in forming the Western Canada Group of Chartered Engineers. He died of cancer in March, 2004.