All of our Heroes

Cecil McAlpine Weir was born at Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, on 5 July 1890, the youngest of four sons of Alexander Cunningham Weir and his wife, Isabella McLeish.

He was educated at Morrison's academy, Crieff, and in Switzerland and Germany. Upon completing his studies, he returned to Scotland and undertook two years in business studies before becoming a partner in his father’s based leather and hide merchants, Schrader, Mitchell and Weir, whose warehouse premises were situated at 114 Howard Street, Glasgow.

Robert Wemyss was born on 5 March 1865, the son of John Wemyss, Inland Revenue Officer and Phyllis Pate.

He served his articles with Duncan McNaughtan. After completing his apprenticeship he worked as assistant for McNaughtan, for Burnet Son & Campbell where he was principally employed on railway work, for William Leiper, and for other unidentified firms before. He spent his holidays travelling and sketching in England, Scotland and Ireland. He commenced independent practice in Glasgow in January 1896, and was admitted LRIBA on 24 June 1912, proposed by John Bennie Wilson and the Glasgow Institute of Architects, which he had joined in 1907.

Artist James Whitelaw Hamilton was born on 26th November 1860, the eldest child to wood turner James Hamilton, and his wife Mary Stevenson of 1 Morris Place Glasgow.

Whitelaw Hamilton was to spend most of his life in Helensburgh after his parents moved the family to the town. The family took residence in Thornton Lodge, 107 Sinclair Street, Helensburgh.

Edward, or Eddy as he is known, Whyte was born in Gourock on the 7th February 1956. The son of an MOD Policeman (of the same name), Eddy spent his early years in Rosyth, Fife, where his passion for football was ignited by the fact that he lived a few doors down from Alex Edwards of Dunfermline, the player that Jock Stein gave his league debut to just five days after his 16th birthday in February 1962, making him the youngest outfield player to ever play in a Scottish Football League match.

'Sam Wilding is an exciting new voice to the world of young adult writing. He brings his story to life with such wonderful details that the characters seem to jump out of the pages. Too soon I found myself at the end of the book wanting more. I look forward to his next tale.' So wrote reviewer Stephani Hecht on reading Sam’s first novel – The Magic Scales.

Described as a ‘breath of fresh air for fantasy’, author Sam Wilding was born Paul Murdoch in Braeholm, Helensburgh, on the 9th of May 1961.