James Aitken

1923 - 1995  (72 years)

• 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

  
  

• 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.

  
  

• Sources

  [S77] Terry Stewart (Reliability: 3).