William McLachlan Dewar

Dr William McLachlan Dewar CBE FRSE FRSA DLit (1905-1979) was a Scottish writer an educator who served as Headmaster of George Heriot's School from 1947 to 1970. Tam Dalyell, a former pupil, described him as a “fierce headmaster” in his autobiography.^[1]

Life

He was born on 19 April 1905 in Crieff in Perthshire the son of James McLachlan Dewar and Annie Kempie Cuthbert. He was educated locally at Morrison's Academy. He then studied Classics at Edinburgh University graduating MA.

His first role as Headmaster was in the 1930s as Rector of Greenock Academy before gaining the prestigious role of Headmaster of Heriot’s in 1947. During the Second World War he trained Scottish Air Cadets as Pilots^[2] He received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for this work in 1955. In 1958 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Hugh Bryan Nisbet, Isaac Arthur Preece, Maurice George Say and Walter George Green. In 1970 he was awarded a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) on his retiral. Edinburgh University also granted him an honorary doctorate (DLit).^[3]

He died on 16 September 1979.

Family

He married Mary Sinclair Anderson in 1935.

References