Tribute to my dad: family historian, published poet... and reader of gravestones - Alison McInnes
Family historian and Evening News contributor John McInnes has sadly passed away after a short illness, at the age of 82. Here, his daughter Alison McInnes pays tribute and looks back on her father’s life. Dad was born on November 4, 1942 in Elmfoot Street, Oatlands, Glasgow, the only son of John McInnes and Mary McInnes (nee Lawson). He had two sisters.
He attended St Bonaventure’s Primary School and went on to Holyrood RC Secondary School in Glasgow.
He met my mother, Joyce, at school, when they were friends, but not “goin' oot thegether”. They started going out after school and regularly went to The Locarno dance hall in Glasgow and The Barrowlands.
John and Joyce got married on March 4, 1972 in St Bonaventure's Chapel in Glasgow.
On leaving school, Dad went to work for British Gas in an office job which he hated. He left the job after a year or two . His mum was disappointed by this move, saying “it would have been a job for life”, to which Dad said “yes, not my life though”.
In later life, Dad went on to work for British Aluminium, a job he found more enjoyable and where he made friends.
As a mature student he studied at Strathclyde University, where he graduated with a BSc Honours in Politics and Philosophy. During this time, he met Alex Salmond and Margo McDonald, as part of research for an assignment. He enjoyed meeting them and it sounded as though they had enjoyed his company over lunch in Edinburgh too.
Dad wrote many poems and articles which were published in national magazines in Ireland (he submitted work to an Irish magazine because my brother, John, lives there, and he loved visiting Ireland) and Scotland, and in the Edinburgh Evening News. Dad was proud to have his work published in the News.
He had a lifelong fondness for and attraction to Edinburgh for many reasons. Primarily because his mother was born and brought up there before she got married and she and her husband moved to Glasgow. However, he also loved the atmosphere of Edinburgh and the architecture.
Dad enjoyed going to the top of Calton Hill and pointing out Edinburgh landmarks to me. He did not, however, during the Festival, like going to the Castle, because the whole open space was taken over by the seating for the Tattoo. He felt the same way about George Square in Glasgow being used for private events: “This was donated to the people of Glasgow, you know. Now it's shut off for some event.. and I have nowhere to sit.”
Dad could read Latin, having been taught the language at his state secondary school. He liked looking at the architecture of Victorian buildings and explaining the meaning of the inscriptions to me. I wonder how many state schools teach Latin now?
Dad could also translate Latin inscriptions on gravestones and visited cemeteries all over Scotland as part of his work on genealogy. He helped many families from many countries to trace their family history and felt particularly rewarded when he was able to trace for someone who was unsure about the history of their family and the spread of their family now, what Dad called “living rellies” (relatives). He said that was the best thing. Many families wrote to him thanking him for his work, which he always researched at the National Library in Edinburgh and the Mitchell Library in Glasgow.
Dad's interest in genealogy began with researching his own family history as he was trying to find out why his mum and dad had moved to Glasgow - there didn't seem to be any clear reason. He couldn't find the answer to that, but he did help many other families to get the answers they wanted.
He made friends with the chief archivist in the Mitchell Library, and she put him in contact with people who wanted to research their histories. He did this for years and always sent people his findings in a letter which was typewritten on a 70s typewriter . My brother offered to buy him a computer, but he declined: this typewriter works fine.
Dad was a fit outdoor person who at the age of 80 was still cycling to Ayr and back in one day, then carrying his bike up three flights of stairs in a Victorian tenement. He loved Pollok Park in Glasgow and Portobello (again, holding fond memories of his mum).
His poetry became sufficiently well known that he was approached to contribute to a book on Nelson Mandela and he and Mum were later invited to a formal event at Glasgow City Chambers to mark the publication.
Dad also self-published a book entitled 'Macculate Conceptions', which is included in the National Poetry Library.
He sadly passed away in hospital after a short illness, having been very well supported by the NHS, for which we as a family are grateful.