Rev David McHutchison

NOT many people are remembered in a town they left 48 years ago, but such was the character and personality of the Rev David McHutchison that this is not an idle claim.

Born in Clarkston Road, Glasgow, the eldest of four children, David attended Queen's Park Secondary School and Glasgow University where he graduated MA in 1936 and later studied theology, gathering a hockey blue along the way. He was ordained in 1939.

He was greatly influenced in his choice of career by the Rev John Kent of Cathcart South Church of Scotland, who often welcomed returning missionaries to his church. David would have had the opportunity to meet them and hear of their travels, their work and experiences, strengthening in him his desire to travel. He had already taken a small step in this direction in 1933 by becoming an assistant purser on the Queen Mary to earn funds to help support himself while studying and to supplement his scholarship.

In 1939 he set sail for India, en route for Kalimpong, arriving in Bombay in time to hear of the outbreak of war. His first night was spent in Wilson's College, a name which became significant in later life. Kalimpong became the centre of his life, a town he never forgot, and where he is not forgotten today. He was attached to the Scottish Universities Missionary Institution where he was in charge of the boys' hostel and taught in the school.

From 1941-43 he travelled throughout the Duars, a tribal area in North-east Bengal. There he was responsible for 50 primary schools and their teachers and for 14 congregations and their evangelists. Travel from mission house to mission house was often difficult. There were no metalled roads and journeys had to be made on foot or by covered wagon drawn by oxen.

Visitors to the mission included not only the human population but also goats, water buffalo and, on at least one memorable occasion, wild elephants, which made short work of the vegetable garden, the fencing being no deterrent to a herd of hungry pachyderms.

During this period he studied Hindi and Urdu, completing the two-year course most successfully, obtaining first position in both years, and later in Kalimpong he was sufficiently proficient and confident to be able to preach not only in English but also in Hindi and Nepali. He began to learn the language of the Lepcha people but did not consider himself to be proficient.

He returned to Scotland in 1946 to marry Mary Purvis, who was training to be a nurse. When she qualified, she went out to join him but ill-health forced her to return 18 months later. David eventually gave up his much-loved post and came back in 1951 to look after his wife.

He took up the post of chaplain in Ruchill Hospital and, after gaining a further diploma of education in 1952, he taught RE in schools.

After his wife died in 1978 and soon after his retirement he moved to Lauder, to the house where the Rev John Wilson, missionary, oriental scholar, educationist, and founder of that same college in Bombay where David spent his first night on Indian soil, had been born in 1804.

He maintained a lifelong interest in plants and in particular the wildlife which visited his garden, but his main passion was for sports cars. He was the proud owner of a yellow MG and a dark green 1950 Alvis, which, lovingly cleaned and polished to perfection, was housed in a garage that was larger than his living room. When taken out for a drive it would cause a stir and had a waiting list for the spare passenger seat. When his health deteriorated earlier this year, he moved into Mayburn House in Loanhead.

Frances Horrocks