John Aitken

1914 - 1986  (72 years)

• Name	John Aitken
  Birth	18 Apr 1914	Broomhouse Cottages, Corstorphine, Edinburgh, Scotland   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Death	3 Sep 1986	13 Pomona Road, St Helier, Jersey   [1]
  Person ID	I8392	OrwinMillar
  Last Modified	24 Apr 2011

  
  

  Father	Thomas Barton Aitken,   b. 4 Feb 1884, Fallside, Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland d. 1 Feb 1975, Falkirk Infirmary, Stirlingshire, Scotland (Age 90 years)
  Mother	Catherine Manson Spence,   b. 27 Jul 1886, Dounreay, Caithness, Scotland d. 19 Mar 1960, 41 Chapelton Drive, West Calder, Mid Lothian, Scotland (Age 73 years)
  Marriage	17 Jul 1908	13 Prince Regent Street, Leith, Mid Lothian, Scotland   [1]
  	Witnesses at the wedding of Thomas Aitken and Catherine Spence were James Aitken and Nell Spence.
  Family ID	F1624	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Kathleen Yvonne Holloway,   b. 6 Dec 1917, Loose, Kent, England d. 15 Oct 1975, St.Nicholas's Hospital at Plumstead, Kent, England (Age 57 years)
  Marriage	5 Sep 1939	Welling, Kent, England   [1]
  Children	1. Living   2. Living
  Family ID	F3242	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	30 Jan 2008

  
  

• Notes

  Sinclair and John were twins Also know as jack. His first job was as a Page Boy at the newly opened Playhouse Cinema, Edinburgh. Leaving the cinema he became an apprentice butcher. When he was about 17 he disappeared from home and his parents called the police. The police found him at the Glencorse Army Barracks of the Scots Guards, he had joined up. Jack was underage but had falsified his age by altering his Birth Certificate. The police told his mother that he would be better off in the army, as he was sure to be laid off from the butcher's shop, as soon as his apprenticeship was up. And so John became a Professional Soldier. Jack served in the tropics of Africa and it was here that a Tse-Tse fly bit him. The bite became infected and he ended up with a large depression on his temple. A cancer developed, as well. This was treated with cobalt radium treatment. It was not entirely successful but a few years later a Pakistani doctor treated and cured it without the need for further radium treatment. By 1944 he was a Sergeant Major stationed at Redford Barracks, Edinburgh. During the Korean War he served in Korea as a quartermaster. The following story was authenticated from three different sources. "The Scots were supplied with whisky from one of the Scotch whisky distillers. The American forces were not allowed spirits. The Scots were sleeping in Bell Tents. (Not very comfortable for the forthcoming winter in Korea.) The Americans had Nissen huts. John had a jeep loaded up with whisky, drove 100 miles to the American quartermaster stores and spoke to the quartermaster in charge and offered the jeep load of whisky as part payment/exchange on the supply of 6 Nissen huts. The agreement being that when they huts were delivered 100 miles up the line there would be another jeep load of whisky supplied, including the jeep. Agreement being reached plans were supplied to John for the foundations of the huts. John returned to his base, organised an area to be cleared, foundations laid. The huts arrived and were erected by the Americans, whisky and jeep were handed over, and so 600 British troops slept dry and warm that winter." Reminiscences from Ben Fox, his son-in-law After he left the army, about 1956, he became a Police Officer in Kent. He then transferred to Special Branch. As an officer in Special Branch he was very much concerned when Harold Wilson became Prime Minister as he felt the country was going communist. Come the revolution he felt that all Special Branch would be in danger. Jack became a Security Officer until his retirement. He was found dead at his home at 13 Pomona Rd., St. Helier, Jersey. He had died of coronary thrombosis due to ischaemic heart disease. .

  
  

• Sources

  [S77] Terry Stewart (Reliability: 3).