- J. Fraser McLuskey
James Fraser McLuskey, MC (
19 September 1914 -24 July 2005 ) was anEdinburgh bornPadre who fought with theSpecial Air Service inWorld War II . He later went on to become the minister of St Columba's, the larger of theChurch of Scotland ’s two congregations inLondon , andModerator of the General Assembly in 1983-84.Early life
McLuskey was born in
Edinburgh on19 September 1914 but his family moved toAberdeen where his father ran a laundry business. He attendedAberdeen Grammar School from 1920 to 1931 and returned to Edinburgh to take degrees in arts and divinity. Fraser McLuskey, as he was known, spent several months on a travel scholarship where he became interested in theConfessional Church , which was made up of those opposed toAdolf Hitler and toNazi attempts to exercise control over theNational Protestant Church . Here he met his future wife,Irene Calaminus , the daughter of apastor in theConfessional Church .World War II
In 1939 McLuskey succeeded Dr
Archie Craig aschaplain to theUniversity of Glasgow . In 1942 he took leave of absence to become an Army chaplain, and after parachute training he was posted to theSpecial Air Service , with whom he served inFrance ,Germany andNorway . He was awarded theMilitary Cross .Aftermath
After returning to Britain Fraser McLuskey travelled throughout the country visiting the families of men killed in action with the SAS to explain the circumstances of their death. From 1947-50 Fraser was sub-warden at the
Royal Army Chaplains' Training Centre . He then returned toScotland , first to the parish of Broughty Ferry East and then, in 1955 toNew Kilpatrick on the outskirts ofGlasgow , which had a congregation of more than 2,000, one of the largest in the Church of Scotland. It was while Fraser McLuskey was there that his wife Irene died ofbreast cancer , leaving McLuskey to look after their two teenage sons.Later life
Shortly afterwards, he moved to
St Columba's Church, London . He was a strong believer in having Church of Scotland outposts inLondon . Mcluskey united St Columba's with another outpost of thekirk inDulwich , and also linked with the congregation ofSt Andrew 's,Newcastle upon Tyne . He retired in 1986 to Edinburgh, where he became a member of a group of current and retired ministers who supported the Conservative Party and opposed the left-wing stance of the Church of Scotland during the time ofMargaret Thatcher . He spent much of his free time travelling the countryside where he went with the Special Air Service in World War II.Controversy
In 1966 McLuskey was landed in controversy when he planned to marry a widow,
Ruth Briant , who before her marriage to ColonelKeith Briant , had been divorced. Believing that his marriage to a divorcee meant the end of his ministry, he decided to resign his charge. However he was persuaded by many to withdraw his letter of resignation and remained married to Ruth Briant till the end of his life.Death
Fraser McLuskey died in Edinburgh on
24 July 2005 .ee also
*
List of Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.