Dingwall businessman and philanthropist, Viscount Shane Gough, has died aged 81.
The fifth viscount and last in his line, resided on the the Keppoch Estate but was known for his rejection of the trappings of wealth.
He came from a prestigious line of military veterans which included three holders of the Victoria Cross and “leaves a legacy of faith and generosity.”
Viscount Gough
Born on August 26 1941 Viscount Gough – Shane Hugh Maryon Gough – was the son of Hugh William Gough – the fourth viscount – and Bettine Maryon-Wilson.
Descended from the first viscount, Field Marshal Hugh Gough, whose military career spanned much of the 19th Century, his father also fought with distinction in the Irish Guards during the First World War, where he lost an arm and was the first Irish Guards officer to be awarded the Military Cross.
His mother was the only daughter of Sir Spencer Maryon-Wilson, 11th baronet.
Highland upbringing
Shane was brought up at Inches House to the south of Inverness which his parents had purchased shortly before the Second World War. He later moved to Inchvannie House on the Keppoch Estate in Ross and Cromarty in 1947.
After Abberley Hall preparatory school and Winchester, to which he was a major benefactor throughout his life, he attended Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot.
One report stated that: “He has improved since arriving at the school. He now has the makings of a really good young officer. He is rather untidy and unimpressive to look at, and one’s first impression is not very favourable, but he is well liked by everyone.”
Military career
In 1962 he was commissioned into the Irish Guards in the footsteps of his father. He served with the 1st Battalion in Germany and later with the Junior Guardsmen’s Company at Pirbright.
While he was there his commanding officer remarked on his performance.
“He wryly commented that ‘while he was a thoroughly likeable and cheerful officer with a delightful sense of humour, I believe he tends to be too kind and must concentrate more on insisting on the highest standards from his men.’
“This criticism masked his remarkable, but usually invisible, kindness and generosity to others which was to become his hallmark in later life.”
Never forgot the regiment
The viscount’s short service commission ended in 1967. He became a stockbroker and company director, initially with Laurence Keen and Co and later with Barwell plc, a venture capital company which supported start-ups in sectors such as life sciences and clean technology . He was also a member of the Royal Company of Archers (Queen’s Bodyguard for Scotland).
Throughout his life Shane kept in touch with his contemporaries in the Irish Guards. He remained a pivotal member of the Regimental Association never missing a St Patrick’s Day parade, the annual march to the Guards memorial or the Quis Separabit dinner.
A family member said that he continued his genuine benevolent interest in welfare and regimental matters to the end of his life.”
Philanthropy
Shane’s business interests took him across the world. In Victoria, Australia, he worked with the antipodean branch of his mother’s family and built up a substantial property portfolio in Melbourne, and on the Mornington Peninsula.
One tribute expressed that “his thoughtful benevolence was boundless, yet never publicised.”
Whether funding accommodation in London for a former Irish Guardsman or sponsoring young and impecunious officers so that they could take part in the inter-university polo competitions, he was always extremely generous.
He was also so discreet that few people other than those directly involved were aware of the many projects and individuals he funded.
Nothing ‘flashy’
Among the charities he supported was the RNLI. He and his mother financed a significant proportion of the cost of the 1974 Stornoway lifeboat which was named in his father’s memory.
There was also Operation Drake, in which he took part in the Kenyan leg of one expedition in the 1970s.
A very senior Freemason, despite his wealth and upbringing, he lived with little need of luxury. Most of his cars were secondhand and when travelling by train, he always opted for standard class.
“His home was a time warp tribute to the 1950s, said a cousin. “When a friend turned up at his house in a new, but fairly modest, Land Rover, he remarked: ‘A bit flash, old boy.’ Being an inveterate gadget lover, he proceeded to fiddle with the satnav setting it, irreparably, into Croatian.”
Man of faith
He had an astounding fund of general knowledge, military history and family genealogy. Shane also had a deep love of art and of books, especially those on natural history, travel and exploration.
A strong practising Christian, he donated a full peal of bells from the London Bell Foundry to St Luke’s Church, Charlton in South East London near where his mother’s family came from. Closer to home he provided a new altar table to his local church, St Anne’s in Strathpeffer, crafted out of oak from his estate.
After a short illness Viscount Gough died on April 14 2023, aged 81.
It was remarked that though his title may have gone for ever he leaves a legacy of generosity which will never be forgotten.
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