Obituary: Dr Robert (Bert) Stewart OBE, TD
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Wick-born man who, after a highly successful career as a GP, became the British embassy doctor in Moscow and Warsaw and achieved the rank of colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps
Dr Robert (Bert) Stewart OBE, TD, formerly of Bexley Terrace, Wick, passed away peacefully at his home in Kent on May 29, 2020, aged 92.
Bert was born in Wick on July 29, 1927, the son of Catherine and Daniel Stewart and brother to Don, former chairman of Wick Harbour Trust. He graduated as a doctor at Edinburgh University and went on to have a highly successful career as a GP before becoming the British embassy doctor in Moscow and Warsaw. He also achieved the rank of colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps and was awarded the OBE by the Queen in 1978.
He often talked of Wick and returned to the town regularly before his health prevented further trips north.
He leaves five children and a host of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His funeral took place at Charing crematorium on June 13 with contributions going to the Wick branch of the RNLI. He will be greatly missed.
This piece, entitled Our Harbour, was read out at his funeral:
Our Harbour
Hewn out of solid Caithness rock, our harbour was created through the timeless experiences and enduring values of his ancestors. They helped to create the essence of his nature and forged the breakwaters from which he surveyed the outside world.
Over the years, he greeted each new glistening boat which impatiently screeched down the slipways, provided careful protection from the elements, until, stocked and nurtured, they were ready to venture out into the challenge of the open sea, sometimes smooth and inviting, sometimes torn with pitching, rolling waves and misty foam-flecked swells.
Time and time again, our harbour welcomed his boats back home, his pilot lights gleaming, until we were once more tied up snugly against his quays, shielded from wild winds and cruel currents. Running repairs were sometimes required, sails re-stitched, hulls repainted, keels scrubbed. On occasion, darker storms wreaked heavier damage requiring longer stays. However, each and every time, our harbour unfailingly guided each boat back home.
The fleet swelled over the years but, old or new, large or small, each craft was always sure of a welcome berth, moored up with warm words of guidance and encouragement.
Our harbour patiently listened to our tales of exploration, our fears and aspirations, our successes and our failures, helping with passage plans and tide tables, boosting spirits and confidence, until his boats were ready to return to the ocean once more, restored, patched up, replenished for voyages, be they long or short.
Some trawlers ventured further afield, unable to return to their home port for long stretches. Radioing in, each bulletin was eagerly awaited by our harbour, ever keen to hear the progress of each member of his fleet.
Our harbour slowly weathered over the years, remaining proud, firm and resolute, but also finding himself in need of care and attention. Though never demanded, it was gratefully and lovingly given, in abundance, right through to the very end.
And now our harbour has finally closed, yet our memories of him will endure and we’ll wistfully recall safe, happy, laughing, carefree days on his shores, drawn tight in his strong embrace.
His horns will still be heard over the waves, his harbour lights glimpsed through the mists of time, and the protection he provided will live long in our memories, influencing the harbours of our future generations.
James Stewart
