1923 - 1995 (72 years)
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Name |
James Aitken |
Born |
18 Feb 1923 |
30 Arthur Street, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland |
Gender |
Male |
Occupation |
1939 |
Seaman, Merchant Navy |
Residence |
21 Apr 1945 |
Vellore Cottage, Maddiston, West Lothian, Scotland [1] |
Occupation |
9 Nov 1946 |
Chauffeur |
Residence |
9 Nov 1946 |
13 Priory Rd, Whitecross, West Lothian, Scotland |
Residence |
21 Jul 1961 |
85 Chapelton Drive, Polbeth, West Lothian, Scotland [1] |
Residence |
1 Jul 1972 |
85 Chapelton Drive, Polbeth, West Lothian, Scotland [1] |
Residence |
13 Aug 1985 |
85 Chapelton Drive, Polbeth, West Lothian, Scotland [1] |
_UID |
2E121AE919554394AA356BEFB1F8EE2D8579 |
Died |
1 Nov 1995 |
Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland [1] |
Cause: Heart Attack |
Buried |
6 Nov 1995 [1] |
Person ID |
I8396 |
My Big Tree |
Last Modified |
14 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) |
Married |
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 |
Elizabeth Sharp Morton, b. 1 Aug 1920, Causwayend, Muiravonside, Stirling, Scotland , d. 29 Jul 2000, St John's Hospital, Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland (Age 79 years) |
Married |
21 Apr 1945 |
Muiravonside Church, Whitecross, Stirlingshire, Scotland [1] |
Children |
| 1. Irene Bavis Aitken, b. 9 Nov 1946, Falkirk Royal Infirmary, Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland , d. 12 May 2007, Broxburn, West Lothian, Scotland (Age 60 years) |
| 2. Living |
| 3. Robert Morton Aitken, b. 26 Feb 1952, Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland , d. 16 Jul 2012 (Age 60 years) |
| 4. Living |
|
Last Modified |
31 Jan 2008 |
Family ID |
F3250 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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Notes |
- Being an epilectic when he was young did not stop him from joining the Merchant Navy.
During the war he served on convoys to Russia, mainly on tankers, the most dangerous ships of all. He served in many different capacities, Cook, Carpenter, Seaman, anything to get a berth.
Two seperate occasions he was on ships that were torpedoed and sunk.
On the second sinking it was feared that he and all his shipmates were lost at sea.
Sinclairina, his sister. saw a newsreel of "torpedoed Canadian seamen" being unloaded at Nova Scotia. She was sure she saw Jim amongst the survivors. This was the first the family knew of Jim still being alive.
This was the one and only time Jim ever went to jail. Celebrating his good fortune, he had got drunk, broken the curfew and was arrested.
After the war Jim worked on various large house estates, as a Chauffeur/ Handyman and Bessie worked as the Cook or Housekeeper.
Later Jim joined Smith Crisps and became factory shift-foreman.When the firm decided to close down the factory, Jim and other employees bought the firm. Jim was the first employee shareholder of the new firm.
Jim had not enjoyed very good health since his war-time ship sinkings. Despite this Jim cared for Bessie's every need, even to the extent of carrying her and Bessie was a big lady.
On November 1 1995 he was attending a birthday party for one of his grandchildren when he had a heart attack. Taken to St John's Hospital at Broxburn where he died.
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