THE COVENANTER
coffin draped with the Union Flag. Laying a wild flowers, geology, astronomy and history.
wreath in Berlin remembering Cameronians He was an Elder at Holy Trinity Church St
killed by friendly fire in 1945. The member Andrews and became the Session Clerk to
who would speak at meetings his mind with fill in on a temporary basis, but remained
the judgement of Solomon. His sermon in the Session Clerk for over twenty years. He
Covenanters Prison at Greyfriars Kirkyard is read widely and remained extremely alert
especially noteworthy. He is survived by his mentally in to old age. He continued to
wife Sarah (Cissie), their four sons and nine enjoy the hills particularly with his sons.
grandchildren to whom we send our sincere He did short sections of the Cuillin Ridge
condolences. into his early eighties. He dealt stoically and
bravely with failing sight in later years.
Captain DRA Hotchkis His wife Betsy and his three sons James,
It is with great sadness that we report the Robert and Michael survive him and to them
death of Dunmore Hotchkis who died we send our most sincere condolences.
on the 16th August 2008. We record here
the letter from his son James Hotchkis –
“Dunmore Richard Alexander Hotchkis was Major David Oswald Liddell, MC
born in Paisley on 19th December 1909. It is with great sadness that we report the
After school he attended Oxford University death of Major David Liddell, who died on
where in 193 1 he graduated Bachelor of the 20th March 2008 aged 91 and record
Arts. Thereafter he joined a Law Firm in here the letter from his son BRD Liddell:
Leith and did a Legal Apprenticeship with
that Finn attending Scots Law evening
classes at Edinburgh University, graduating
LLB in 1933. He joined the Writer to the
Signet Society in 1934. Prior to the outbreak
of war he was a keen mountaineer and
frequently climbed in the Cuillins, Isle of
Skye and on occasions on Ben Nevis. He
volunteered for his Majesty Forces before the
outbreak of war in 1939 and he served with
the Cameronians for six years, in the UK,
Madagascar, India, Persia (now Iran), Iraq,
the invasion of Sicily and Italy and later
Germany. I think the years when my father
served with the Cameronians were some of
the most memorable of his life. He made
long lasting friends and attended regularly “ He was awarded an immediate MC while
the Officers Reunion at Drymen. He was in command of the leading company of the
of course one of the lucky ones although 12th Battalion The Cameronians (Scottish
he was wounded by a land mine in Italy. Rifles), which was attached to the 5th Essex
I recall a number of stories my father had Regiment, during an attack on Villa Grande
about the war. I remember he enjoyed bouts near Termoli, Italy on 23 December 1943.
of malaria in Italy albeit it took him out of During this period of the fighting, his
the front line. Towards the very end of the regiment was involved in capturing villages
war when his unit met the Russians in what in the mountains heavily defended by the
became East Germany, the Russians invited fanatical Herman Goring
some officers for dinner in their mess. My Parachute Division. Liddell skilfully advanced
father was left in charge of the battalion and and his company gained a footing in the
surmised this might become a permanent houses which formed part of the objective
appointment if the Russians interred the but in doing so platoons became separated by
other Officers! 100 yards of open bullet-swept ground. The
After the war in 1946 my father returned to leading platoon suffered heavy casualties,
the legal profession and took over the Law including the platoon commander, and
Firm of his uncle James Napier Hotchkis WS Liddell decided to take reinforcements to it
in St Andrews. He married Betsy Dishington himself. On the way his party was pinned
Scott in 1953 and imparted to his three sons down by machine gun fire from the flank
his love of the hills, wild places and his and was unable to advance. Regardless of
abiding interest in the environment, birds, his own safety Liddell assaulted the machine
104
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