Robert Robertson, 1869 - 1949

Abstract The death of Sir Robert Robertson at the age of eighty removes from our midst a man of outstanding personality and widespread activities. Primarily an expert of world-wide repute in the field of explosives, he had a great variety of other interests including, for instance, classics and historical research. Robert Robertson was born on 17 April 1869 in Cupar, Fife. He was the son of J. A. Robertson, a doctor of dental surgery, who lived to the advanced age of ninety-one. The father had somewhat of a scientific bent, fostered by his acquaintance with Faraday; his thesis for the doctorate was on the melting and purification of gold and he was one of the early users of nitrous oxide as an anaesthetic. The grandfather was also long-lived, reaching the age of eightyfour. He also had some scientific inclinations, and having seen the beginnings of gas-lighting in London he proceeded to instal a retort, scrubber and gasholder in his house at Cupar, Fife, and successfully illuminated the house with gas. Earlier forbears distinguished themselves in various ways. One ancestor, Robert Robertson of Moulin, fought at Prestonpans in 1745 and at Culloden in 1746. Sir Robert had numerous trophies of the exploits of some of his ancestors, which he showed with pride to his visitors. Robertson’s mother was the daughter of Andrew Russell, a farmer of Balmerino, Fife. His predecessors were lairds, tenant farmers, ministers and lawyers. Robertson had three younger sisters: one of these, Jess Isabel, married William Rintoul, a colleague of Robertson’s in his explosives work. Robertson was married in 1903 to Kathleen Stannus, eldest child of Hugh Hutton Stannus, F.R.I.B.A., Lecturer in Applied Art at South Kensington and at Manchester. He was an authority on the Romanesque architecture of Northern Italy. He also excavated with Flinders Petrie at Abydos. The daughter Kathleen inherited his artistic ability, and has produced many charming works of art. She had two children, Jesanne Euphemia Stannus Robertson, born in 1909, and Robert Hugh Stannus Robertson, born in 1911. Lady Robertson died in 1938.