John Murray Prain
Encyclopedia
Lieutenat Colonel John Murray Prain DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
TD
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(1902 – 1985) was a British Yeomanry
Yeomanry
Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.-History:...
officer in the Second World War and prominent Scottish businessman.
Family life
He lived at Longrigg, St. Andrews, FifeFife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland and married Lorina Helen Elspeth Skene. They had two children, Philip James Murray Prain (born November 1936) and Tessa Helen Murray Prain (born 28 Jan 1940)
Education and early life
Educated at CharterhouseCharterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and Clare College, University of Cambridge.
Military service
Commissioned into the Cupar Section of the Fife and Forfar YeomanryFife and Forfar Yeomanry
The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry was an Armoured Yeomanry Regiment of the British Territorial Army from 1793 to 1956 when it was amalgimated with the Scottish Horse....
which was part of the Territorial Army and by 1935 he was a Captain.
Mobilized to serve in World War II, he saw action with his Regiment in Belgium and France in 1940 as part of the BEF
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
. He commanded his regiment during the retreat to Dunkirk, after the commanding officer had been killed. He was wounded in action in France, 1940 and awarded the DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
the same year.
He was transferred to Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
(SOE) in 1941, where he stayed for two years before taking a post as General Staff Officer from 1943-1944.
He was awarded Territorial Decoration
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
, 1943 and promoted to Lt Col. With his first command being the Royal Armoured Corps Officer Cadet Training Unit at the Royal Military College
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
Sandhurst, 1944-1945.
He returned to his Regiment the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry was an Armoured Yeomanry Regiment of the British Territorial Army from 1793 to 1956 when it was amalgimated with the Scottish Horse....
after the war and eventually commanded it as until 1948 as a Territorial Army officer while he began his business career.
Business career
He started his business career with the long-established family firm of James Prain & Sons, jute manufacturers in Dundee. He spent much time working in a voluntary capacity assisting with business arbitration courts and the promotion of British industryHe worked for the following companies:
- Chairman, James Prain and Sons Ltd, Dundee, until 1956
- Member, Jute Working Party, 1946–1948
- Member, Scottish Committee, Industrial and Commercial Finance Corporation, 1946–1955
- Vice Chairman, Caird (Dundee) Ltd, 1956–1964
- Director, Tayside Floorcloth Company Ltd, 1946–1969
- Director, Alliance Trust Company Ltd, 1946–1973
- Chairman, Jute Importers Association, 1947–1949
- Director, The Scottish Life Assurance Company Ltd, 1949–1972
- Chairman, Association of Jute Spinners and Manufacturers, 1950–1952
- Part time Member, Scottish GasScottish GasScottish Gas is the trading name of British Gas in Scotland.-See also:* British Gas* Centrica* Energy use and conservation in the United Kingdom* List of power stations in Scotland-External links:* *...
Board, 1952–1956 - Director, Royal Bank of ScotlandRoyal Bank of ScotlandThe Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
, 1955–1971
Other Positions Held
- Member, Employers' Panel, Industrial Court, 1959–1971
- Member, Industrial Arbitration Board, 1971–1972
- Chairman, Dundee District Committee, Scottish Board for Industry, 1948–1962
- Member, Employers' Panel, Industrial Disputes Tribunal, 1952–1959
Honours and Titles
He was decorated with the award of Companion of the Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(DSO)
He was invested as an Officer in the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(OBE) in 1956
He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(DL) in the County of Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
from 1958
Member of Queen's Bodyguard for Scotland, the Royal Company of Archers
Royal Company of Archers
The Royal Company of Archers is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's Bodyguard in Scotland, a role it has performed since 1822 and the reign of King George IV, when the company provided a personal bodyguard to the King on his visit to Scotland. It is currently known as the Queen's...
Honorary President, Fife and Kinross Area Council, Royal British Legion (Scotland)