World War I Military Cross
presented to Clan Urquhart
Clan Urquhart had the good fortune recently of acquiring for its
permanent collection the silver George V Military Cross which was
awarded to Captain Lewis Urquhart, 6th Battalion, the King's Own
Scottish Borderers, in September 1918.
Lewis Urquhart, whose home was in
Inverness, joined the Scots Greys when the First World War broke
out. His great ability earned him a commission in the King's Own
Scottish Borderers where he was promoted to Captain. During an
attack in Belgium in September 1918, Captain Urquhart was badly
wounded in the leg. In spite of his wound, he led his company to the
objective assigned to it and only allowed himself to be assisted to
the field hospital after he was sure that his men were safely dug in
at their new position. For his conspicuous gallantry and "fine pluck
and devotion to duty," he was awarded the Military Cross, one of
Britain's highest military awards.
Captain Urquhart's Military Cross
was offered for sale on e-bay, the internet auction website, in June
2003. The Chief and his Senachie, Robert Jeffrey Urquhart, decided
that this historic Urquhart artifact was of such exceptional
interest and value to the Clan that every effort should be made to
acquire it. The provided the necessary financial backing for Robert
Jeffrey Urquhart to make the successful bid for the Military Cross.
They then asked the Clan Urquhart foundation to acquire it for the
Clan. The Foundation voted to do this at its Annual Meeting in July.
Thus, though funds provided by the Foundation, a valuable Urquhart
historical artifact has been added to the permanent collection of
the Clan.
Roderick Mackenzie Urquhart OBE, MA, an original member (1982) of
the United Kingdom Branch of Clan Urquhart Association, died on June
1, 2003.
Mr. Urquhart is the individual who
single-handedly recorded every coat-of-arms of each county, burgh,
town and community council in Scotland. His initial magnum opus
Scottish Burgh and County Heraldy remains the standard text on
Scotland's civic heraldy. No sooner was the work published in 1973,
than local government reorganized two years later and Roddie's
entire work had to be rewritten to cover nine regions, 53 district
councils, and three island councils. Scottish Civic Heraldy was
published in 1979.. In 1986, Scotland's Secretary of State further
reorganized local government, thus creating for Roddie Urquhart the
unexpected task of transforming his two works into a trilogy to
cover the heraldy of 32 new councils.
Born on December 6, 1917 in Beauly,
Inverness-shire, Mr. Urquhart was the son of local merchant, Colin
Urquhart and his wife Helen, daughter of a Perthshire farm manager.
A graduate of St. Andrew's University, Urquhart was appointed to the
Colonial Service before returning to the UK at age 34 to become
bursar of Sheffield University for 14 years from 1952. In 1966, he
moved to Winchester, when he gained the post of secretary and
registrar of Southampton University, serving there until retirement
in 1978.. He was appointed OBE in 1968.
He was predeceased by his wife
Christina and is survived by his children Mhoire, Lesley and Carol;
grandsons Simon and Nicholas; and great-grandson Luke.
Richard William Bogarde (1946-2002) was a member of the Clan
Urquhart Association since 2002. He was the son of Henry and Dora
Bogarde and was born on July 14, 1956 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
After high school, he enlisted in the US Navy and served three tours
of duty in Vietnam. He married Beth Urquhart on December 16, 1967 in
Ketchin, Alaska. The couple shared their 35th wedding anniversary
two days prior to his death. Rick can best be described as a truly
supportive friend who was known to help whenever there was a need. A
man whose life revolved around his family, he is sorely missed by
his wife and the couple's two sons, Rick W., Jr., and Jeffrey
Bogarde, and a daughter Rebecca Bogarde.
Majorie Louise Davis was a Clan Urquhart Association member since
August 21, 1999 and a regular visitor to the Urquhart tent at the
Games in Maine. She was married to George W. Davis and was a
resident of Livermore, Maine. Majorie passed away in December of
2002. She is survived by a daughter, Deborah Davis Whalen;
son-in-law, Tom Whalen; and a grandson.
John Rankin Urquhart (1921-2003) died on June 16, 2003. He was the
son of Captain John Crammond Urquhart from Aberdeenshire. He was
born on May 29, 1921 in Chelmsford, Essex. He attended King Edward
VI School, Chelmsford and Emmanuel College, Cambridge University
where he achieved a Master of Arts degree. He served in World War II
from 1939-46. John was a member of Food Industry Council of
Australia and a past chairman of the Grocery Manufactures of
Australia. In retirement, he enjoyed traveling, fishing and
gardening. He is survived by his wife "Siggi" Sigrid, nee Ohart, two
daughters and two sons.
The Clan Urquhart Association extends its sincere sympathy to the
following members who have lost relatives: Janet Ochs on the death
of her stepson. Barbara Urquhart McCarthy and her husband on the
death of his aunt.
Dr. Fred Urquhart, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto, passed
away. He was an internationally renowned pioneer in the field of
insect migration and was awarded the Order of Canada, that nation's
highest civilian honor. He dies just short of his 91st birthday.
