Raymond Durie of Durie facts for kids

Raymond Durie (born August 10, 1905, died March 29, 1999) was a British army officer. For most of his life, he was known as Raymond Dewar-Durie. He became famous for his role in an event called the Yangtze Incident. Later in his life, he also became the leader, or "chief," of a Scottish family group known as Clan Durie.

Raymond Durie's Army Life

Raymond Dewar-Durie was born far away in Persia. His father worked there as a bank manager. When Raymond was only five years old, he was sent to school in England. He later went to two important schools: Blundell's School and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. In 1925, he officially joined the army as an officer. He became part of a famous Scottish regiment called the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

Raymond had many exciting experiences during World War II. One time, he had to escape from a city called Shanghai. This city was controlled by Japan at the time. He traveled for 51 days across Japanese-held land to reach a part of China that was not occupied.

In 1949, Raymond went back to China. He worked at the British Embassy in Nanking as an Assistant Military Attache. This means he helped with military matters for the embassy. He played a very important part in the Yangtze Incident. This was a big event involving a British warship named HMS Amethyst.

Becoming Chief of Clan Durie

The Durie family had lived in a place called Fife in Scotland since the 1500s. Everyone knew that Raymond Dewar-Durie was the head of this family. However, he did not officially change his name to "Durie of Durie" until 1988.

He followed the advice of the Lord Lyon King of Arms. This official is in charge of Scottish coats of arms and family titles. The Lord Lyon had first told Raymond's father to claim the title of "Chief of the Name and Arms of Durie." By changing his name, Raymond officially became the recognized chief of Clan Durie.

Sources

• Extracted from the obituary of Lt-Col Raymond Durie of Durie, The Independent, 21 April 1999