Alexander McLauchlan Seath
(23/4/1927 - 21/11/2006)
Alex Seath was born on the 23rd April 1927, the oldest son of John Seath and Daisy Stuart, at Kinema Close, High Torry, Fife.
He was John and Daisy's third child, having an older sister Daisy (born 1920), another sister, Agnes, having died at 2 days old in 1923. He was followed by a sister Joanne (1929-1929) and Bobby (1933-2000)
He attended Torryburn primary school and then Torryburn 'big school' until the age of 14. He then became an assistant greenkeeper at Torrie Golf course until he was old enough to take up an apprenticeship as a bricklayer at the age of 16. His father has indicated that the last thing he wanted Alec to do was follow him down the pit. His first job as an apprentice was building retaining walls down Torrie Mine!
On his first day at primary school he met and sat next to a boy from Torryburn, David Lessels and the two were to become good friends and remained so until Alecs death in 2006. They were active members of the local church and took great delight in the local youth fellowship.
Alec was not always in Torryburn Schools. During the war he and the family moved to Derbyshire in order for his father to work in the munitions factory there. During his time in Derbyshire he attended Spondon School which was in a large house in wooded gardens. A far cry from Torryburn Public School. However, the constant bombing was not for them. His mother demanding they return to Newmills.
David and Alec shared an interest in walking and cycling and most weekend could be found with a bunch of friends travelling the highways and byways of the highlands.
Despite attempts to join the forces during the war at the age of 16 he was refused on the grounds that he was in a reserved occupation and would have required the permission of his employer and his father to go and fight for King and Country. His employer was not forthcoming with permission and his father refused point blank as he had gone through the First World War and had no intentions to let his oldest son go through what he had.
In 1949 they took on their biggest journey yet, cycling through France, Belgium and Holland with four other friends. He was a seasoned traveller at the age of 21, an unusual thing in the early 50's.
In 1950 David had decided to return to Africa where he had served in the Army during the war and Alec had made plans to travel with him. As with their previous journeys Alec and David had decided to wear the kilt throughout the journey and must have caused some interest as they passed through the various countries. This type of journey was so unusual in the early 1950's there was quite a bit of press interest locally. An example of this could be found in the Dunfermline and West Fife Journal of the 26th July 1950. It even made it to the front page. You can read this article
HERE. My father always denied he made the quote but that was and still is journalistic licence.
Due to financial constraints an Alec's part,
they were not able to travel the whole way together, Alec joining a Norwegian Merchant vessel in Egypt, early in 1951. Tales of their journey together can be found in David's book
'A Tramp in Africa' (ISBN 1905203-64-0).
Returning home triumphantly in 1953 after visiting India and the USA as well as Saudi Arabia he once again took up his trade.
He had a great interest in music and was a talented singer. It was this latter talent which led him to join the "Dunfermline Light Opera Club" in 1954, who were to be putting on the first 'off-West End' production of Brigadoon in the Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline. He applied for, and got the lead male role of Tommy Albright in the production and was destined to play against a young soprano who had recently returned for the USA called
Dessa Farries.
Alec's first impression of Dessa did not bode well for the future as she swanned in wearing a fur coat, looking very much the star. His first thoughts were "I bet she fancies herself!"
Working together they became close and 2 weeks after their first date he asked her to marry him. She thought about it overnight and said 'yes' the very next day.
They were married in Dunfermline Abbey in 1957 and had one son Craig in 1959. They chose the name as neither wanted him to have either of his Grandfathers names, John, which could be shortened so, as a compromise gave him John as a middle name.
Their first home was at 2 Rose Crescent, Dunfermline which they had bought from Dunfermline Athletic Football Club. It was a one bedroomed flat which provided a happy home for the family until they moved in 1975 to a newly built council house in Townhill.
This was the only move the family made in all their years. Their proudest moment came with the graduation of Craig from the University of Edinburgh in 1981 with a degree in Biochemistry. Following on the tradition his father had set, Alec had no intention of letting Craig follow in his footsteps as a bricklayer, in fact he had said 'The first time you set foot on a building site, I'll cut your hands off'
Alec apparently had a terrible temper when he was young but his family never saw it, he was a placid, funny, charming person all his married life.
That happy married life came to an end when on the 16th December 1994, Dessa died after a long battle with bone cancer.
Undaunted he took up golf again and continued to paint, joining the Dunfermline Art Club and becoming a prolific and well selling watercolour artist.
Alec was a very active man until his stroke in February 2006. Hardy to the last, he hung on until on the 21st November 2006 when he died at Lynebank Hospital, elderly care unit in Dunfermline.
His son Craig and Craig's girlfriend Rosie were at his side when he left us, frowning slightly he gave three deep sighs and passed to be with his beloved Dessa. At the time of his passing he was listening to the voice of his old pal David. A fitting tribute to their 75 years of friendship. It was a peaceful and dignified end to a proud and gentle man.
Cremated at Dunfermline Crematorium, his ashes were scattered on high ground overlooking Pitreavie Golf Course. A fitting resting place for one so loved and loving.