Dr Lester Borley CBE, Director of the National Trust for Scotland. Born: 7 April 1931 in Pontardawe, South Wales. Died: 13 October 2019 in Elgin, aged 88
Lester was born in Pontardawe, South Wales, in 1931 and the family moved to Deal in Kent in 1934. There he attended the Parochial School until being evacuated to Wales, aged eight, during the Second World War. He joined the Dover County Grammar School which had itself been evacuated to Ebbw Vale. Surprisingly, Lester recalled being sent home to Deal during the school holidays despite the constant bombing, and experienced an air raid in London when he was sent to visit his grandmother. He finally returned from Wales to Deal and the Dover County Grammar School in 1944.
In 1949 he completed his National Service in the RAF before attending Queen Mary College in the University of London to read Geography and Anthropology. Whilst there he enjoyed the opportunity to fly a Chipmunk trainer in the University Air Squadron, where he made some lasting friendships. He was also an enthusiastic member of the university drama group and enjoyed acting in several of their well-received productions, including playing Warwick in Saint Joan and several Shakespearean roles. He was also active in student politics, becoming President of the QMC Students Union, and then Deputy President of the University of…
