1966

Our President in 1966/7 was:

The Right Hon. Sir Alec Douglas-Home

He proposed the Toast to Sir Walter at our 59th Annual Dinner on Friday 3rd March 1967 in The North British Hotel, Edinburgh

(poor audio quality)

Summary of the Speech:

Sir Alec Douglas-Home opened with gratitude for the honour of serving as Chairman, and with a nod to his wife’s absence. He began by connecting his own ancestry—the Douglas family—to Scott’s characters, quoting lines referencing the proud and perilous legacy of the Douglases.

He offered humorous and reflective anecdotes on the evolution of the Douglas archetype—from deadly romantic to mild-mannered modern gentleman. This segued into a lively retelling of scenes from The Battle of Shrewsbury and Marmion, where Scott’s dramatizations of loyalty, tragedy, and the clash of ideals are given centre stage.

Douglas-Home celebrated Scott’s profound familiarity with the Borderlands, their ruggedness and romance. He described Scott’s intimate knowledge of the landscape—from Smailholm Tower to the Ettrick Valley—and his relationship with James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, with mentions of Confessions of a Justified Sinner and the folkloric imagery of devils, raids, and monastic myths like the legend of the Eildon Hills.

He then shifted to Scott’s poetic evocation of nature—his sensitivity to dawn, wildlife, and stillness—and read verses about the sounds of war and memory. He issued a comic warning to “modern vandals of Abbotsford” and referenced Rob Roy and the violence of Waverley, recalling a vividly described execution scene at a loch near Aberfoyle.

The final section praised Scott’s role in shaping English perceptions of Scotland as noble, fierce, and wild, yet profoundly human. He called The Heart of Midlothian Scott’s greatest novel, quoting its closing line on virtue and peace.

Notable and Interesting Points:

• Personalised Lineage: Sir Alec's humorous claim to Douglas ancestry lent a personal dimension to his remarks, blurring the line between Scott’s fiction and real historical families.
• Rich Quotations: He included striking passages from Marmion, The Heart of Midlothian, and others, using them to highlight Scott’s narrative power and romantic imagination.
• Myth and History Blended: The speech is peppered with legendary scenes (e.g., Eildon Hills, Flodden Field, the loch execution from Rob Roy), grounding Scott's fiction in geography and folklore.
• Literary Commentary: Douglas-Home subtly critiques literary over-analysis, suggesting that Scott’s epics, like Marmion, should be experienced with emotional vigour rather than dissected clinically.
• Affectionate Tone: He declared himself a "hopelessly nostalgic sentimental border Scot" and an “addict” to Scott, reinforcing the sense that the Club itself is a bastion of cultural pride and tradition.