Douglas Hume - a personal story

Introduction
This book is neither a biography nor an autobiography; it is largely my brother
Douglas Hume’s reminiscences, along with the illustrated story of the Company’s
birth, survival and progress. Douglas also expresses his forthright views in the
debate on the future of electricity generation and renewable energy sources, key
features in the Howden engineering philosophy and experience.
Although not involved in the Company, my role has been to act as researcher
and editor and latterly as author, so the writing of the book has been a combined
effort. Douglas and I had many conversations together in his home in Scotland and
there was a constant exchange of emails between us to-and-fro across the Irish Sea
to my home in Northern Ireland.
Most of the chapters have a brief introduction by me and then continue in
Douglas’ own words in parenthesis throughout the book, while I have written the
Foreword and the family history in Chapters 3, 4 & 5; we combined to write the
yachting story, as we were brought up ‘on the sea’ together. I also wrote the final
chapter which is an account of Howden after Douglas had left. Owned by Charter
plc since 1997, Howden still trades under the Founder’s name and continues to
flourish and expand for a world-wide market.
An illusory ‘captive market’
My brother is of the generation of Scottish businessmen who began their working
lives during the decade that saw the decline of the British Empire following the
Second World War. From the 1920s, the Empire had been under increasing
pressure and by the mid-1950s Britain’s so-called ‘captive market’ had proved to be
largely illusory, with home based manufacturing facing intense competition.
James Howden & Company survived this period because it had already
established a global market for its products in the years before and after the war. In
the following decades, the Company continued to expand, until the more difficult
years of the 1980s, when the long term decline in the home market of coal fired
power plant, mining and iron & steel saw manufacturing jobs throughout Scotland
falling from 604,000 to 402,000. The impact on Howden jobs was severe; however,
they remained one of the few large engineering companies that kept their
headquarters in Scotland during the time my brother was in charge.
Douglas starts his story with his birth and upbringing and there are chapters on
some of the important and light-hearted events in his family, business and sporting
life, along with several contributions from friends and colleagues, all of which gives
a rounded picture of his life and work.
**To June**
From when I first met my darling wife June, it was clear that she had a certain
galvanising quality within her: not a destructive, ambitious drive, but a steady
certainty that her husband could achieve whatever he put his mind, heart and soul
to! One of my friends and colleagues writes that the story of Howden would not be
complete without recognising June’s profound influence, in so many ways, both in
my life and the Company. Throughout the 54 happy years of our marriage, June
kept me ‘in top gear’: I said this at her funeral in April 2004, when fifteen of the
family spoke movingly about her. While it was a sad occasion, it was also a loving and
ever-to-be-cherished farewell. She was a wonderful wife, companion and help-mate.
John O’Donohue writes that in the Celtic tradition, there is a beautiful
understanding of love and friendship, which is called anam cara, literally ‘soul
friend’. In the early Celtic Church, a person who acted as teacher, companion and
spiritual guide was your anam cara. This was also someone to whom you could
reveal the hidden intimacy of your life and with whom you could share your
innermost self, your mind and your heart. It’s a lovely thought and it exactly sums
up the relationship June and I had through all the ups and downs of life together.
JDHH
All the proceeds from this book will go to the
June and Douglas Hume Memorial Fund
This charity was originally created in memory of June,
who died at home in 2004 after a three year struggle
with cancer. When Douglas died in April 2009, his
name was added. The Fund distributes grants to help
anyone with a terminal illness who needs to purchase
equipment so they can spend their last days at home.
Donations can be made to the June and Douglas Hume
Memorial Fund