Inscription...

... on a silver cigarette box presented to my great grandfather RTP (extra). RTP was a lawyer and he acted as the General Secretary of the Royal Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (now Children 1st) for many years. In my last job I had a bit of a work connection with Children 1st so this heirloom is doubly pleasing. I do know who RTP was - my paternal great grandfather, father of DHM. He married Euphemia, the granddaughter of Christina Colville. Such leaving gifts were quite the thing in the 1930s I imagine. Can’t see it these days thank goodness.

Having bothered to clean the box a bit it was next to impossible to take a photograph without multiple reflections.

Today has been spent looking after RTP’s great, great, great granddaughter who, by coincidence, lives in the same town where he settled and raised his family of four children.

Here is the minute of his last meeting at RSSPCC:

Minute of Council on 21st October 1935
Resignation of General Secretary and appointment of successor
The Chairman drew attention to the paragraph in the Finance Committee of 20th September and the long association Mr Paterson had to the work of the Society and his long and zealous service as General Secretary. He pointed out that Mr Paterson had been connected with the Society for just over 30 years. He was Hon. Law Agent in 1904 and the Secretary of the Glasgow District Committee in 1913. On the outbreak of war, when Mr C T Gordon, Secretary, went on war service, Mr Paterson acted as interim General Secretary and then finally on Mr Gordon’s resignation was appointed General Secretary. The meeting received Mr Paterson’s resignation with regret.