Long-serving Lundin Mill school teacher, David Milne Stewart, had a son of the same name, who not only followed his father into the teaching profession but also shared his father's love of golf. David junior was the youngest of four sons and was born in 1886 in the Lundin Mill school house. Introduced to golf at a young age, he joined Lundin Links Golf Club at the age of 17 and four years later (1907) won the first of his nine club championships. He was also a nine times winner of the Lundin silver medal.

David (known as "D.M.") attended Edinburgh University - gaining an M.A. in 1906 and a B.Sc. in 1908. At the time of the 1911 census he was teaching in Greenock. He became Science Master at Moray House and was a member of Duddingston Golf Club - winning prizes there also. He set a course record at Pitlochry during the Highland competition in 1913. His teaching career meant that he was limited to participating in competitions which took part during school holidays. However, both golf and teaching had to be put completely on hold with the outbreak of World War One.

D.M. joined McCrae’s Battalion (16th Royal Scots) on 4 Jan 1915 at Edinburgh. After some months in the Royal Scots he was transferred to the Royal Engineers (chemist section) and was promoted to Corporal. This move was a response to the use of chlorine gas by the Germans. Special Companies of technically skilled men, under Major C.H. Foulkes of the Royal Engineers, were formed to deal with the new weapon. Nos 186 and 187 Special Companies were formed first, in July 1915, followed by 188 and 189 Companies in August. D.M. was part of the former group. All of the men were given the rank of Chemist Corporal. ​The Great War was the first in which chemical weapons were deployed. 

On 20 December 1917 David married fellow teacher Helen Rutherford Wilson Campbell at Darling's Hotel on Waterloo Place in Edinburgh (see image below), while on leave from active service. Soon after his marriage, D.M. was wounded in action. He received a gun shot to the left elbow in France and ultimately was discharged from service on 11 July 1918 aged 31, receiving the silver war badge on 31 August 1918 (issued to those honourably discharged due to injury or illness). Eventually he was able to return to both teaching and golf.

Despite the injury affecting his swing, it was not too long before D.M. returned to form on the golf course. Between 1922 and 1932 he was a semi-finalist in the Eden tournament at St Andrews four times and topped the qualifiers once (playing for Lundin Links Golf Club). The images at foot of the post show him in action in 1922 and in 1929 (he is on the right in the 1929 photo).  ​Also a member of Kirkcaldy Golf Club, D.M. won the club championship many times there and set a course record in 1932 by shooting 64. He became club Captain in 1940 and the following year a vice-president. Lundin Links Golf Club made him an honorary member of their club around this time. In 1946-48, he was vice president of the Fife Golfing Association.

In terms of his post-war teaching career, Stewart became head science master at Royal High School in Edinburgh in 1919.  But in 1923 he returned to Fife, when appointed Principal Teacher of Science at Kirkcaldy High School. He remained in post until 1939, when he was selected as headmaster of Queen Anne Higher Grade School in Dunfermline - a position he retained until his retirement in 1951. By this time his health was failing. D.M. passed away at his home (49 Balwearie Road, Kirkcaldy) on 7 August 1952 at the age of 65. The Fife Free Press reported this two days later under the headline "Noted Golfer's Death".....

"Mr Stewart was one of the most outstanding and popular golfing figures ever to be associated with Kirckaldy Golf Club, but his profession and recreation did not begin Kirkcaldy. He was born in Lundin Links. It was his father, a school teacher at Lundin Links, who helped found the golf course there....D.M. was soon introduced to the golf course....[his] profession took him over a wide area. His reputation was enhanced at Golspie, Edinburgh and Dunfermline. "

He was survived by his wife and two daughters. He will be remembered - along with many other prominent local golfers - during the 150th anniversary celebrations at the Lundin Golf Club this year.

Recent winter storms and high tides have resulted in serious damage to Largo Pier. For readers in far flung places, that might not be aware of the situation, there is an image at the foot of this post illustrating the extent of the destruction, which has been incredibly upsetting to all who know and love this historic landmark. It is important to appreciate the history of the pier and ironically a small piece of that history has been uncovered by the damage (see above photograph). Close inspection reveals two names and a date neatly carved (about 5-6 inches tall) into one of the exposed stones:

John Clunie
A Kinnear
1819

A bit of research has identified both men as local stone masons, who presumably wanted to leave their personal mark on the pier, having carried out some work on the structure two centuries ago.  Note that this was a time before the railway, the granary and around the time of the first regular steamer services. Alexander Kinnear must have decided his full name was too long and left only his first initial. He lived until 1880 and to the grand age of 92 (evidence shown below).

John Clunie was more difficult to track down as it would appear he died in 1829 before detailed death registrations were required. However, his son of the same name died in 1898 and the stone mason John Clunie is named on his son's death record (see below). Tragically, John junior drowned in Largo Harbour aged 77. The newspaper report of his drowning is also shown below. If anyone knows more about these two men, about their local work as stone masons, or are related to either of them - please do get in touch!

This 1930s photograph features, on the right, the fishing boat 'Clarewood' (registration ML.46) belonging to James Lawrie. It is shown in greater detail below. The Railway Inn is in the background beyond the viaduct.  James Lawrie was a fisherman born in Lower Largo in 1878 - son of fisherman Thomas Lawrie and his wife Isabella Clunie. Thomas lived a long and eventful life and reached the age of 98 (more about him some other time), while James died in 1967 aged 89.

Further below is a clearer view of the rowing boats, afloat on the Keil Burn. The young occupants are facing in the other direction and would have seen the ruin of the old spinning mill which was demolished not long after this scene was captured.

A past Captain of both Lundin Golf Club and Lundin Ladies Golf Club, Johnny Laidlay was a renowned Scottish amateur golfer, who was born at Seacliff House in East Lothian (see inset image) on 5 November 1860 to parents John Watson Laidlay and Ellen Hope. His Glasgow-born father was a merchant whose wider family owned extensive indigo plantations in Bengal (indigo being a source of blue dye). Johnny was the youngest son and attended Loretto school in Musselburgh - learning golf on the historic links there.

He soon became a prominent amateur golfer, playing out of North Berwick, and was either runner-up or winner in five out of six British Amateur Championships between 1888 and 1893. On 9 January 1889 he married Jane Eileen Redmayne in Ambleside, Cumbria. Their son John was born there the following year. In 1891 the family moved to Scotland and took a long lease on Strathairly House (shown below) in the Parish of Largo.

On 5 June 1891, Mrs Laidlay opened the Lundin Ladies Golf Course (situated at that time between the railway line and the villas of Homelands, Haworth and Aithernie). Among the "large and select gathering of ladies and gentlemen" present were Mr and Mrs Hearsay Salmon of Homelands. The Hearsay Salmons also had a history in Bengal and its likely that they were long acquainted with the Laidlays. Mrs Laidlay "drove off the first ball" and six all-female couples competed in an open competition to win a gold bangle (first prize) or a club and balls (second prize) (Scotsman 9 June).

While living at Strathairly, the Laidlays had two more children - Richard Ernest in 1892 and Eileen Faith in 1895. Sadly, Richard died there at the age of 15 months. During their time at Strathairly, Johnny became Captain of both the Lundin Ladies Club and the Lundin Golf Club. General Briggs (from whom Laidlay rented Strathairly) had been 1893 Lundin Captain. Johnny succeeded him and remained Captain until 1896. Laidlay's Captaincy covered the period when the new club house at Lundin was built and officially opened.

In 1896, the family left Strathairly and took a five year lease on Grangemuir House, north of Pittenweem. The Dundee Courier noted that "Largo people will be slow to part with one who has done much to brighten the social life of the place, but the fact that he is still in the county is gratifying". While living at Grangemuir, the couple had another child, Robert Anthony (in 1897) but he too passed away in infancy. Johnny became involved with Elie Golf Club and was Captain there in 1897.

Laidlay had memberships at many clubs over the years, including St Andrews and Muirfield. North Berwick Golf Club was particularly special to him, however, and around 1898 he commissioned the building of a ten-bed roomed mansion house overlooking the 8th fairway of the club's west links. Named 'Invereil House' this was his base for many years until he relocated to Sunningdale in Berkshire after World War One. He named his home there "Auldhame" after part of East Lothian that neighbours Seacliffe (and which was once also part of his father's estate). He passed away there on 15 July 1940 at the age of 80.

Interestingly, in 1894 in an interview in "The Golfer" Laidlay was asked if he approved of constant practice...to which he answered: "For myself, I never practise. For instance this year I have only played three times since the first of May and I don't think it would be any better for me if I played more. Golf can be overdone." As a player, he had some idiosyncrasies - for example, he finished his strokes with a characteristic throw forward from the body and he had a marked stoop over his ball when putting (see images below). 

Whilst these traits didn't catch on, the overlapping grip first used by Johnny Laidlay certainly did. Later popularised by Harry Vardon, this grip is now used by around 90% of golfers around the world. At the time of Johnny Laidlay's death the newspapers described him as "a stalwart of the "gutty" ball age", "one of the most famous Scottish amateur golfers", "originator of the overlapping grip" and "a master of the cleek". They noted that he won more than 150 medals during his competitive days and "retained much of his golf skill later in life." Wouldn't it have been great to see Laidlay's strongly individual style in action on Lundin Links?

This atmospheric scene of Lower Largo featured on a postcard sent in July 1912. The sender was a John Rose who wrote "I am spending the day here with the choir picnic". This was sent to Miss Alexandrina Lowe of Kirkpark House, Musselburgh. Largo was a favourite day trip destination for many clubs and groups. The panorama stretches from the Crusoe Hotel on the left, round the bay to Cardy Works and Cardy House on the right. The start of The Temple is just visible on the extreme right - the prominent upper window of the central house in the group of white-coloured homes below stands out. This grouping of characterful buildings was once the entirety of the village of Temple (see painting at foot of post).

This circa 1910 view of Lundin Links Station looks across towards the east end of Leven Road (and Largo Law beyond). At the time the west part of the street, beyond Montrave Hall, had not be developed (see 1912 map below) and the area between Haworth and Aithernie had not been in-filled with houses. The golf links are in the foreground. Further below are a couple of zoomed-in views picking out further detail.

Above is the original station building (on the right) erected during the Standard Life era, while 'Aithernie' (now the Old Manor Hotel) sits above the station platform, on the left. The small hut-like structure by the railway line in front of Aithernie may have been a 'tablet catching' platform. As this section of railway was single track, a system was devised whereby the driver had to be in possession of a 'tablet' before proceeding down the next section of track. Tablets were often exchanged at special wooden platforms to ensure a speedy handover from signalman to driver.

Below is an annotated photograph showing the newer station building in the left foreground and the following buildings in the background:

1. Montrave Hall
2. Dalraven, 54 Leven Road
3. Haworth Cottage
4. Haworth