MOD civil servant who served in the Falklands

Born: February 17, 1951;

Died: March 3, 2017

JIM Devine, who has died of cancer aged 66, was a long-serving civil servant at the Faslane and Coulport naval bases. He also served on Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s flotilla of supply vessels during the Falklands War.

He started his working life as a teenage stores boy in the Royal Naval Torpedo Factory in Alexandria. In 1969, he was transferred to the Garelochside base when the Ministry of Defence closed down the torpedo technology establishment and switched its commitment to nuclear weapons and submarines at Faslane and Glen Douglas.

He remained with the ministry for 50 years, during which time he gained the South Atlantic Medal, a campaign medal awarded to military personnel and civilians for service in the Falklands War. He sailed to Port Stanley with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s flotilla of supply vessels, which included RFA Regent, RFA Resource, RFA Fort Austin, RFA Fort Grange, and RFA Stromness, which was attacked by an enemy A-4C Skyhawk, but sustained only minor damage.

Colleagues looked up to Jim Devine whom they admired for his encyclopedic knowledge of every item in the supply stores and on the ships and submarines.

He is said to have been a painstaking perfectionist in all he did and a patient manager who was prepared to share information and data with colleagues and young people, whom he helped to train.

He was born in Renton, which is accepted as the cradle of Scottish football and home of the eponymous team which won the first World Cup in 1888. He was football crazy.

He was an avid supporter of Celtic Football Club, whose early stars, James Kelly and Neil McCallum also came from Renton and distinguished themselves with the villagers before moving to Parkhead.

Mr Devine, who was educated at St Mary’s Primary School in Alexandria, and St Patrick’s High School, Dumbarton, was a handy footballer himself. He played at school and in fiercely contested works tournaments before he became a season ticket holder and investor in Celtic. Only one thing took precedence over his career and his football commitments and that was his family.

He was happily married to Moira, a bank official in Dunbartonshire, who sadly predeceased him two years ago, and they had two daughters. Kerri is a doctor, who works as a registrar in a Newcastle hospital, and Meghan is a solicitor with a leading law firm in Glasgow. Kerri sang the psalm and, with Meghan, did the readings.

Parish priest Father Charles McElwee, celebrated Jim’s funeral Mass at Our Lady and St Mark’s Church, Alexandria.

Father McElwee, who presided at the final commitment in Vale of Leven Cemetery, told the large congregation that Jim and Moira had both given great service and support to the parish for more than 30 years.

They were devoted parents who gave a great example to their daughters by whom they are survived.

Moira was an excellent cook and Jim was a talented baker and they both made certain that the priests of the parish were well fed.

Jim Devine’s brother, Gordon, who delivered the eulogy, said his brother was a big music fan, whose favourites included Brian Ferry and Roxy Music.

He said he was proud of him for having lived a full and interesting life during which he took great pleasure and a great deal of pride in his family and friends – and his football team.

Celtic Football Club sent a message of condolence and a wreath to Jim Devine’s funeral.

BILL HEANEY