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Donald Caskie

Donald Currie Caskie, OBE, DD (22 May 1902 – 27 December 1983) was a minister in the Church of Scotland, best known for his work in France during World War II. He was a member of the Pat O'Leary escape line which helped up to 500 Allied sailors, soldiers and airmen to escape from Occupied France (mainly through Spain).[1]

Donald Currie Caskie
Personal
Born(1902-05-22)22 May 1902
Died27 December 1983(1983-12-27) (aged 81)
ReligionChurch of Scotland
Nationality Scottish
Senior posting
PostThe Scots Kirk, Paris, 1938–1940, 1945–1961

The 'Fasti' – the record of all Church of Scotland ministers since the Reformation – simply mentions that he was "engaged in church and patriotic duties in France, 1939–1945". In his autobiography The Tartan Pimpernel he states that 'he had been called to Paris in 1935.'

Biography edit

The son of a crofter, he was born in Bowmore on Islay in 1902. He was educated at Bowmore School and then Dunoon Grammar School before studying arts and divinity at the University of Edinburgh. His first charge was at Gretna, before becoming the minister of the Scots Kirk in Paris in 1938.[2] A 2001 Gaelic-language documentary aired on BBC2 stated that Caskie was a homosexual, with the documentarian Angus Peter Campbell saying that Caskie lived life as a man who was "straight at home [and] gay abroad".[3]

Having denounced the evils of Nazism from the pulpit, following the German invasion of France in 1940 Caskie had to flee from Paris. Instead of trying to return home (as strongly advised by staff at the Church of Scotland Offices in Edinburgh) he fled south, eventually ending up in Marseilles on the French south coast (having refused the opportunity of a place on the last ship to Britain leaving Bayonne). At the British Seamen's Mission in Marseilles, Caskie set up a refuge for stranded Britons.[4] He would even send telegrams to the Church of Scotland offices in Edinburgh informing them of the number of British service personnel who had escaped. With the help of Lt-Cmdr Pat O'Leary RN (later awarded the George Cross), British Intelligence, local clergyman Pastor Marcel Heuzé, the American consular authorities and others, Caskie helped as many as 500 Allied service personnel to flee France.[2][5]

Detention edit

Caskie came under the suspicion of the Vichy France and German authorities, and a fellow Briton betrayed him. Pastor Heuzé was one of many to be executed. Lack of evidence saved Caskie's life for the first time; instead he received a suspended prison sentence and was ordered to leave Marseilles. This was partly helped by Caskie's ability to speak Gaelic, confounding his interrogators.[2]

Caskie headed for Grenoble, where he was employed by the university, and acted as a chaplain for interned British soldiers and resident civilians. The Germans later ordered that all British-born civilians in the occupied countries be interned in Germany; Caskie managed to influence an Italian commandant to release many of them. Caskie was arrested again and spent some time in Italian custody at Sanremo, held in the old fortress prison.[6] Later in 1943 he was transferred back to German custody and eventually put on trial in Fresnes, and sentenced to death. Awaiting execution by firing squad, Caskie asked to see a pastor. This saved his life; the German army padre Hans Helmut Peters successfully appealed to Berlin to spare Caskie. He then spent the rest of the war in a Prisoner of War camp, resuming his ministry in Paris after the war.

Scots Kirk edit

The Scots Kirk in Paris had been unused throughout the war, and lack of maintenance led to the church having to be rebuilt during the 1950s. To help pay for the rebuilding, his autobiographical account of his extraordinary wartime activities was published as The Tartan Pimpernel in 1957. The 1950s building proved to have serious defects and had to be again rebuilt in the late 1990s, Caskie's book being again reissued.

Later life edit

Caskie finally returned to Scotland as minister in Old Gourock Church. In 1967 he became a minister at Wemyss Bay and Skelmorlie on the Firth of Clyde.

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in September 1959 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews in the foyer of the BBC Television Theatre.[7]

He retired to Edinburgh in the early seventies and lived the final year of his life with his younger brother in Greenock. He died in 1983 and is buried at Bowmore on Islay. Various personal artefacts, including his wartime medals, can be seen at Kilarrow Parish Church, Bowmore.

Honours and awards edit

 
Memorial Plaque in honour of Donald Caskie as seen in 2013 at the rue de Forbin in Marseille, France

He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in June 1945 for services to the Forces in France.[8]

He was honoured by the French government for his wartime service. The Alliance France-Ecosse society erected a memorial plaque at the rue de Forbin in Marseille, France.[9]

On 26 October 2019 a memorial plaque marking his work was unveiled at the Fort de la Revere near Nice by the Le Devoir du Memoire organisation, which honours those affected by the war, including Resistance fighters.[10]

In popular culture edit

In 2018, a play based on Caskie's book was written by Graeme Dallas and John Hughes.[11][12]

Publications edit

  • Caskie, Donald (1957). The Tartan Pimpernel. London: Oldbourne Press. OCLC 1614029.

References edit

  1. ^ "Church hero 'the Tartan Pimpernel' honoured". BBC News. 26 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "The Rev. Dr. Donald Currie Caskie, OBE, DD, MA, OCF". Clan Macpherson Association. 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  3. ^ . Scotsman.com. 27 December 2001. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017.
  4. ^ Innes, Bill (2004). St Valery the Impossible Odds. Birlinn Ltd. pp. 81–118. ISBN 1843410192.
  5. ^ "Dr Caskie, The Tartan Pimpernel". The Glasgow Herald. 28 December 1983. p. 5.
  6. ^ Caskie, Donald The Tartan Pimpernel Fontana 1966 pp87-97
  7. ^ MacPherson, Hamish (1 August 2017). "Scotland Back in the Day: Reverend Donald Caskie, the kirk minister with a double life as a war hero". The National. Scotland. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  8. ^ "O.B.E for Rev. Donald Caskie". The Glasgow Herald. 13 June 1945. p. 5. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Our Plaques". www.alliance-france-ecosse.com. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Church hero 'the Tartan Pimpernel' honoured". 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  11. ^ MacPherson, Hamish (8 May 2018). "National article on The Tartan Pimpernel inspires play". The National. Scotland. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  12. ^ Harrison, Jody (25 October 2018). "Tartan Pimpernel's heroics become play". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 25 January 2019.

External links edit

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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Donald Caskie news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2011 Learn how and when to remove this message Donald Currie Caskie OBE DD 22 May 1902 27 December 1983 was a minister in the Church of Scotland best known for his work in France during World War II He was a member of the Pat O Leary escape line which helped up to 500 Allied sailors soldiers and airmen to escape from Occupied France mainly through Spain 1 Donald Currie CaskiePersonalBorn 1902 05 22 22 May 1902Bowmore Islay ScotlandDied27 December 1983 1983 12 27 aged 81 Greenock ScotlandReligionChurch of ScotlandNationalityScottishSenior postingPostThe Scots Kirk Paris 1938 1940 1945 1961 The Fasti the record of all Church of Scotland ministers since the Reformation simply mentions that he was engaged in church and patriotic duties in France 1939 1945 In his autobiography The Tartan Pimpernel he states that he had been called to Paris in 1935 Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Detention 1 2 Scots Kirk 1 3 Later life 2 Honours and awards 3 In popular culture 4 Publications 5 References 6 External linksBiography editThe son of a crofter he was born in Bowmore on Islay in 1902 He was educated at Bowmore School and then Dunoon Grammar School before studying arts and divinity at the University of Edinburgh His first charge was at Gretna before becoming the minister of the Scots Kirk in Paris in 1938 2 A 2001 Gaelic language documentary aired on BBC2 stated that Caskie was a homosexual with the documentarian Angus Peter Campbell saying that Caskie lived life as a man who was straight at home and gay abroad 3 Having denounced the evils of Nazism from the pulpit following the German invasion of France in 1940 Caskie had to flee from Paris Instead of trying to return home as strongly advised by staff at the Church of Scotland Offices in Edinburgh he fled south eventually ending up in Marseilles on the French south coast having refused the opportunity of a place on the last ship to Britain leaving Bayonne At the British Seamen s Mission in Marseilles Caskie set up a refuge for stranded Britons 4 He would even send telegrams to the Church of Scotland offices in Edinburgh informing them of the number of British service personnel who had escaped With the help of Lt Cmdr Pat O Leary RN later awarded the George Cross British Intelligence local clergyman Pastor Marcel Heuze the American consular authorities and others Caskie helped as many as 500 Allied service personnel to flee France 2 5 Detention edit Caskie came under the suspicion of the Vichy France and German authorities and a fellow Briton betrayed him Pastor Heuze was one of many to be executed Lack of evidence saved Caskie s life for the first time instead he received a suspended prison sentence and was ordered to leave Marseilles This was partly helped by Caskie s ability to speak Gaelic confounding his interrogators 2 Caskie headed for Grenoble where he was employed by the university and acted as a chaplain for interned British soldiers and resident civilians The Germans later ordered that all British born civilians in the occupied countries be interned in Germany Caskie managed to influence an Italian commandant to release many of them Caskie was arrested again and spent some time in Italian custody at Sanremo held in the old fortress prison 6 Later in 1943 he was transferred back to German custody and eventually put on trial in Fresnes and sentenced to death Awaiting execution by firing squad Caskie asked to see a pastor This saved his life the German army padre Hans Helmut Peters successfully appealed to Berlin to spare Caskie He then spent the rest of the war in a Prisoner of War camp resuming his ministry in Paris after the war Scots Kirk edit The Scots Kirk in Paris had been unused throughout the war and lack of maintenance led to the church having to be rebuilt during the 1950s To help pay for the rebuilding his autobiographical account of his extraordinary wartime activities was published as The Tartan Pimpernel in 1957 The 1950s building proved to have serious defects and had to be again rebuilt in the late 1990s Caskie s book being again reissued Later life edit Caskie finally returned to Scotland as minister in Old Gourock Church In 1967 he became a minister at Wemyss Bay and Skelmorlie on the Firth of Clyde He was the subject of This Is Your Life in September 1959 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews in the foyer of the BBC Television Theatre 7 He retired to Edinburgh in the early seventies and lived the final year of his life with his younger brother in Greenock He died in 1983 and is buried at Bowmore on Islay Various personal artefacts including his wartime medals can be seen at Kilarrow Parish Church Bowmore Honours and awards edit nbsp Memorial Plaque in honour of Donald Caskie as seen in 2013 at the rue de Forbin in Marseille France He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire OBE in June 1945 for services to the Forces in France 8 He was honoured by the French government for his wartime service The Alliance France Ecosse society erected a memorial plaque at the rue de Forbin in Marseille France 9 On 26 October 2019 a memorial plaque marking his work was unveiled at the Fort de la Revere near Nice by the Le Devoir du Memoire organisation which honours those affected by the war including Resistance fighters 10 In popular culture editIn 2018 a play based on Caskie s book was written by Graeme Dallas and John Hughes 11 12 Publications editCaskie Donald 1957 The Tartan Pimpernel London Oldbourne Press OCLC 1614029 References edit Church hero the Tartan Pimpernel honoured BBC News 26 October 2019 a b c The Rev Dr Donald Currie Caskie OBE DD MA OCF Clan Macpherson Association 2012 Retrieved 25 November 2016 Our man in Marseilles News Scotsman com 27 December 2001 Archived from the original on 10 August 2017 Innes Bill 2004 St Valery the Impossible Odds Birlinn Ltd pp 81 118 ISBN 1843410192 Dr Caskie The Tartan Pimpernel The Glasgow Herald 28 December 1983 p 5 Caskie Donald The Tartan Pimpernel Fontana 1966 pp87 97 MacPherson Hamish 1 August 2017 Scotland Back in the Day Reverend Donald Caskie the kirk minister with a double life as a war hero The National Scotland Retrieved 25 January 2019 O B E for Rev Donald Caskie The Glasgow Herald 13 June 1945 p 5 Retrieved 25 January 2019 Our Plaques www alliance france ecosse com Retrieved 25 January 2019 Church hero the Tartan Pimpernel honoured 26 October 2019 Retrieved 26 October 2019 MacPherson Hamish 8 May 2018 National article on The Tartan Pimpernel inspires play The National Scotland Retrieved 25 January 2019 Harrison Jody 25 October 2018 Tartan Pimpernel s heroics become play The Herald Glasgow Retrieved 25 January 2019 External links editDonald Caskie at Find a Grave Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Donald Caskie amp oldid 1209429815, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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