Update on Hamish

[Bernie]

Hi Everyone,

I am a good friend of Hamish and live not too far from him, and he has asked me to give an update on his health to everyone that knows him here on X Marks the Scot and other forums.

Sadly Hamish is very ill and his future prognosis is measured in months rather than years; it is a long standing illness that he has had for many years, but the medical options are now exhausted.

Unfortunately due to the pandemic I cannot visit him and it would not be appropriate to give his address on the internet, so I said I would take messages from people and read them out to him on the phone.

So, if you know Hamish and want to pass on a message to him, please would you respond to this thread, or send me a private message if you prefer, and I will pass your message onto him. If you have met him personally, let me know where and roughly when.

He is being cared for by the community team of St Barnabas Hospice, Worthing, see https://www.stbarnabas-hospice.org.uk/, if you would like to make a donation.

Best Wishes

Bernie McClean

PS, If anyone has any ideas on what to do with 100 kilts, he is open to suggestions. For example he has been in touch with the V&A Museum in London to see if they are interested, but to date they haven't replied.

[Jock Scot]

Whilst I cannot really call Hamish a friend, more like an acquaintance, nevertheless I did enjoy meeting him at the Commando Monument near Spean Bridge when he and his friend were in the area. We had a cheery hour putting the kilt world to rights, before they had to go to seek out a square yard of Scotland he had bought that he thought-----sadly incorrectly-----made him a Scottish Laird. Actually I think he knew it was just a bit of fun but he seemed to be looking forward to the adventure!

Anyway, I wish him well and have happy memories of our brief encounter in the Highlands.

Chin up, Old Boy!

[McMurdo]

While I never met Hamish personally, I would consider him a friend. I made him a sporran strap and belt combination for his green Freelander sporran and he sent me back a lovely Charles Rennie Mackintosh silver kilt pin. He has always been nothing short of a gentleman and it is a shame that we have never met in person. Over the past while Ham has never been far from my thoughts so I appreciate you giving us this sad update Bernie. I will PM you shortly regarding all of this. Please give him my very best.

[Micrographia]

I'm very sorry to hear of your friends illness. If the V&A in London hasn't replied, perhaps the Scottish branch of the museum might be more receptive? There are details and a contact form at this link;

https://www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/info/contact

Well worth a visit once this damnable pandemic is over.

Regards, EEM.

[Pleater]

I once shocked Hamish by writing him and a real event into one of my stories, probably buried deep in the Misc. section now.

These days there is a great and beautiful, though totally fanciful building which houses his kilt collection in over 100 alcoves - including a
double one for the 100th kilt which turned up twice - possibly from different realities.

Hamish resides there in splendour and men of all ages make pilgrimages to ask for his advice, and to stand in the hall of mirrors to practice doing 'The Hamish' before entering into the presence, where they are greeted by the One and Only, clad in shimmering robes of gold cloth artfully woven so that when the light strikes it, the tartan of gold on gold is revealed.

I thought that the Kollection was due to be taken on by someone - it must be quite a wonderful thing.
Perhaps that has fallen through for some reason, which is a pity, but there's a lot of that going on at the moment.

I was just writing about how the folk dancers of my acquaintance are taking to the kilt in some numbers due to the heat, so much so that I have promised some of them that I will make or pass on some of my diminutive accumulation of kilts when we can once more meet up at festivals and weekends where we play dance and sing. They usually wear black, so no problem matching up the pattern, but a few wear tartans, the brighter the better seems to be the rule for that, though I have seen a couple of oddities, one pleated to the mermaid comes to mind quite vividly.
So I read your news with some regret, but Hamish was a legend in his own lifetime, and I believe that there were a considerable number of photos, which I hope have been preserved for posterity. He has long been missed here on the forum - and I believe there is a bottle of dark rum lurking behind my volumes of Hornblower which I might give an airing, in the circumstances.

Anne the Pleater

[Macman]

I am very sorry to hear this news about Hamish, but I'm glad he has let us know through you, Bernie.

Hamish was very active on this forum when I joined and for many years after, and I always enjoyed his contributions. My wife and I met him on his visit to the west coast when he visited Victoria and we had a kilted gathering in Vancouver (I can't remember when that was). He is a wonderful man, and I thoroughly enjoyed my interactions with him. He is, indeed, a kilted legend.

Hamish, I wish you all the best and send you my warmest regards.

David

[Livingston]

While I have never met Hamish in person, I have enjoyed his posts, pictures and all, here on XMarks and have missed his posts here for quite some time. We wish him the best from the Highlands of Colorado.

[bikercelt1]

Hamish,

I first became aware of you when I visited the original Utilikilts store for the first time and saw your photo on the wall there. Your style and the radiant smile on your face couldn’t help but capture my attention and you became something of a role model for me. I was already intrigued by the kilt but you were someone who lived in a kilt and took it beyond the realm of a dance or band costume. That really appealed to me and I decided to try that for myself.

When this forum was founded I was excited to discover that you were one of the early and prolific posters on the site. So many of us owe you a deep gratitude for being a mentor, guide, role model, and friend. I’m sure I would have a kilt or two in my closet in any case but because of your influence I have collection (much smaller than yours, of course), and even designed my own tartan and tried my hand at making my own kilt (with Steve’s expert guidance of course).

My wife, daughters, and I had the pleasure of meeting you and spending time with you when you came to Vancouver British Columbia for a kilt week. A few years later my daughter had been going to school at University College Dublin and we flew over to spend Christmas with her. You were gracious enough to travel to Gatwick just to spend a little time at the airport with us as we waited for our flight. That really pleased all of us and we have felt close to you ever since. I tried to keep correspondence going but I’m afraid I didn’t succeed. I want you to know,though, that partly because of your influence not only am I a daily kilt wearer but both of my son-in-laws have kilts, were married in their kilts, both of my young grandsons have kilts and wear them for special occasions, and my daughters and granddaughters wear kilted skirts. Before he passed away my father even got a kilt outfit and always looked forward to opportunities to get dressed up and go to events with us. I can’t speak for others, but your passion and enthusiasm has influenced at least four generations of my family.

You are never far from our thoughts and our prayers are with you,
Jamie

[Standard]

While I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the great Hamish in person, I have always enjoyed seeing him pop up in threads here on XMarksTheScot. He has always treated new kilt wearers with joy and a fair hand. The phenomenon on XMarks of people doing "The Hamish" is certainly a tribute to how well loved he is on here by us all. Give him my kind regards and well wishes.