James Milne, former managing director and chief executive of Hall Russell shipyard in Aberdeen has died aged 99, just a few months shy of his 100th birthday.
He joined the company as an apprentice draughtsman in 1939, survived the 1940 bombing of the yard and served for 46 years, rising to the most senior level.
During his time in management, James, known as Jimmy, oversaw the creation of a dry dock in 1975 to secure naval work when the bottom dropped out of the ship repair market. He was then was instrumental in developing a large covered shed to enable all-weather working in 1983.
Pressure for orders
Shipbuilding companies like Hall Russell existed on a knife edge and, as a result, the constant need to scour the market worldwide for orders was a way of life for Jimmy for as long as he could remember.
He was always acutely aware that the jobs of hundreds of workers depended on a full order book.
When a £40 million order was secured in June 1982 for five naval patrol vessels for Hong Kong, the Evening Express said that the order was “the result of the yard’s reputation for delivering on time, and the order-seeking efforts of manager James Milne, and his team”.
As he approached retirement there were huge worries about the future of Hall Russell as the Government of the day planned to sell it off.
Jimmy had hoped to be able to hand over a healthy and thriving firm, preserving the jobs of all the remaining 830 employees, but when he finally retired in 1985 his hopes that the yard would continue, albeit in new ownership, weren’t to be, and a few years later shipbuilding in Aberdeen became part of history.
In retirement, Jimmy continued to travel the world but now it was in the company of his wife, May. He was also a keen golfer who played at Murcar, shared a fishing beat on the Dee, was a passionate gardener and an ardent lover of DIY. Ever the engineer he loved “a project”.
Jimmy Milne was born in Aberdeen in July 1924 to Ralph and Gladys Milne and grew up in King Street with an older sister, Gladys, and a younger brother, Freddie.
Following the death of his father, at the age of 38, life changed considerably for the family and, after having been a pupil at Robert Gordon’s College where he hugely enjoyed rugby and athletics, Jimmy had to leave at the age of 15 to find a job.
He secured an apprenticeship at Hall Russell and then later on went to night classes at Robert Gordon’s Technical College to gain his marine engineering qualifications.
During the Second World War, due to shipbuilding being a reserved occupation, Jimmy served with Aberdeen’s anti-aircraft battery based at the beach and it was around this time he met his future wife, May.
She was a former Esslemont & Macintosh worker who had been deployed to the NAAFI and from there to the blueprints office at Hall Russell.
A tragic blow struck the family in 1945 when his brother Freddie died in an accident at the age of 12,
In 1949, Jimmy and May married and set up home in a semi-detached cottage by the Loch of Loirston, where, a few years later they welcomed their daughter, June. This remained their home for more than 20 years until they made a move back into Aberdeen.
Meanwhile, Jimmy was continuing his rise through the company, holding several management positions until his final promotion to managing director and chief executive in 1980.
His long and dedicated service to shipbuilding in Aberdeen culminated with the awarding of an OBE in 1986.
In retirement, Jimmy and May spent many holidays in Madeira and Switzerland. A huge football fan, he had been a regular at Pittodrie over the years and also continued to golf and fish. He was a proud grandfather to Ewan and Christopher.
Sadly, May died suddenly in 2000, but Jimmy was able to carry on living in the home he loved, indulging in his passions for DIY and gardening well into his 80s, though latterly with the help of his loving family.
He died at home on February 10 and his funeral took place on February 27.
You can read the family’s announcement here.
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