John BORLAND Queens Own Cameron Highlanders Born: July 22, 1919; Died: September 7, 2011. John Borland, who has died aged 92, was a childhood mentor to the young Alex Ferguson and one of the last veterans of the heroic 51st Highland Division who battled the Germans during the British withdrawal from France in 1940. His Christian faith was central to his life and, returning from war, he became a Boys’ Brigade leader to the likes of Sir Alex, who described him as “one of the biggest influences on my earlier life”, and hundreds of other youngsters in the Govan and Rutherglen areas of Glasgow. Born in Ibrox to Robert and Helen Borland, owners of a general store in Dalmarnock, he enlisted in the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, in January 1940. After six weeks’ training at Inverness, he was deployed to France as part of the 51st Highlanders. [...] On June 11, without ammunition, food or water, Mr Borland was cut off at the lighthouse at St Valery, and after his commander was shot dead, he crossed a beach to surrender to Rommel’s forces. He always said that an angel was watching over him that day. [...]s Mr Borland was taken by the enemy, he pocketed a stray bit of paper that chanced to blow past. It was entitled Good News To All Men and included a selection of Bible verses, on which someone had pencilled “Don’t give up”. He described that paper as a “window in my prison house” – and would use it to conduct services during his years of confinement. Marched half-starved, and then herded on to cattle trucks, he was taken to Stalag 20A in East Prussia – his parents not learning of his fate for some weeks. There he spent the next five years, leaving the camp only to work on farms. Hunger was a constant problem. On the night before his 21st birthday, he hoarded two slices of bread under his pillow, only to have them stolen before his celebratory breakfast. On another occasion he stole a chicken from the farm, and smuggled it back into the camp to share. He also told of acquiring a trumpet and learning to play for a hobby until, at Christmas 1944, he was so famished that he traded it for three eggs and two loaves. In those years, he vowed that if he survived he wanted only good food, good holidays, and to serve God all his life. In January 1945, with the Russians advancing, the prisoners were taken on a “death march” through Poland. Cold and hungry, they were marched 20 miles a day – and many died. By April he had had enough and, rolling into a ditch, he waited for the line to pass. He made his escape though a wood, only to encounter a tank – thankfully American. Flown back to Britain, his doctors told him he would be lucky to see 50. He invested many years in mentoring boys through the Boys’ Brigade, in Govan and later in Rutherglen – particularly through football. Years before, while at Ibrox Primary School, he had told his teacher he wanted to be a football manager, only to have his ambition dismissed – because football managers did not count for anything. At his memorial service at Stonelaw Church, Sir Alex spoke movingly of how Mr Borland had instilled a sense of discipline and Christian values into him and other boys – through BB, Sunday School and football training – and how he took a passionate interest in their formation and wellbeing. Mr Borland followed Sir Alex’s career over the next 60 years, and the two spoke regularly. In 1960 he married Nancy; exclaiming that he’d been “captured twice” in his life. Despite illness caused by his wartime experiences, he worked hard to support Nancy and daughter Margaret and, after years working in the clothes trade, set up on his own in the tailoring business. He acted as a visiting preacher. Once, asked by an impressed session clerk which theological college he had attended, he replied: “None, I’m in the rag trade.” Following his marriage he moved to Rutherglen, joining Rutherglen East Church, where he served as Sunday School superintendent and BB leader. Later he joined Stonelaw Church, and when an appeal came for chaplaincy volunteers, he offered his services to the Royal Infirmary – serving 27 years as a visitor – only reluctantly resigning earlier this year. Whether as chaplain or neighbour, Mr Borland devoted himself to visiting “old people”. He had the energy of a man 40 years younger – maybe through the dose of olive oil and hot water he took each morning for his complexion. Forthright as ever, even a fortnight before his death he was challenging his carers to attend church. From the 1950s Mr Borland regularly visited St Valery. As recently as 2010, he was an honoured guest at the 70th anniversary of the battle. In France, as elsewhere, he made many deep friendships – a stray conversation would lead to a lifelong friendship. But then he, always with a bulging address book, made friends everywhere, and despite his age they were remarkably multi-generational. John Borland is survived by his wife Nancy and daughter Margaret. (Source : heraldscotland/comment/obituaries/john-borland.15113960)
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 11:06:37 +0000
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