Box, 'Bob McLean'

• Reference:GB 254 MS 273/2/4
• Dates of Creation:c 1960
• Name of Creator:
  Sydney Scroggie

• Scope and Content

  Letters from Bob McLean to various people, writing from different African countries, Singapore and Australia describing his travels. Includes some photographs.

• Administrative / Biographical History

  Syd Scroggie was born in Canada to Scottish parents and arrived in Scotland as a young boy upon the death of his father in the First World War. He attended John Watson's Institution in Edinburgh and Harris Academy in Dundee and after leaving school he joined D.C.Thomson where he was sub-editor on The Hotspur. At the outbreak of the Second World War Scroggie joined the Cameronian Rifles and later the Lovat Scouts. He saw five years active service but just a couple of weeks before the end of war he stepped on a mine in Italy, losing a leg and the sight of both eyes. A keen mountaineer previously, Sydney did not let his war wounds hold him back and he continued to roam the hills, completing more than 600 ascents, until shortly before his death in 2006. Scroggie was also a skilled poet and essayist, taught himself Greek through Braille and was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by Dundee University.

• Access Information

  Open for consultation subject to preservation requirements. Access must also conform to the restrictions of the Data Protection Act (2018), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, 2018) and any other relevant legislation or restrictions. Clinical information is closed for 100 years.

• Note

  Syd Scroggie was born in Canada to Scottish parents and arrived in Scotland as a young boy upon the death of his father in the First World War. He attended John Watson's Institution in Edinburgh and Harris Academy in Dundee and after leaving school he joined D.C.Thomson where he was sub-editor on The Hotspur. At the outbreak of the Second World War Scroggie joined the Cameronian Rifles and later the Lovat Scouts. He saw five years active service but just a couple of weeks before the end of war he stepped on a mine in Italy, losing a leg and the sight of both eyes. A keen mountaineer previously, Sydney did not let his war wounds hold him back and he continued to roam the hills, completing more than 600 ascents, until shortly before his death in 2006. Scroggie was also a skilled poet and essayist, taught himself Greek through Braille and was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by Dundee University.

• Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements

  Paper

• Archivist's Note

  Description compiled by Jennifer Johnstone, Assistant Archivist, July 2010

• Conditions Governing Use

  Reproduction is available subject to preservation requirements. Charges may be made for this service, and copyright and other restrictions may apply; please check with the Duty Archivist.

• Accruals

  Not expected

• Additional Information

  Published