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Obituary: Alyth road sweeper and Atholl Highlander Jim Sherrit

Jim Sherrit during his time serving with the Atholl Highlanders.
Jim Sherrit during his time serving with the Atholl Highlanders.

James Sherrit, who served in the Duke of Atholl’s private army for 38 years, has died aged 68.

Most of his working life was spent in forestry and estate work but for the last 15 years of his career he was the road sweeper in Alyth and the surrounding villages.

During his time with the Duke’s army, James, known as Jim, toured America and South Africa.

Duties

In later years, Jim had responsibility for guarding the cannon and crowd control at the annual May Parade at Blair Castle.

James Edward Guthrie Sherrit was born in January 1954 to Ned and Georgina (Ina).

His father was a shepherd and the family moved around farms in Angus and Perthshire as part of his work.

Early years

Jim started his schooling at Newtyle and finished it at Dunkeld before beginning a painting and decorating apprenticeship with Bannerman Decorators in Perth.

He moved into digs in Perth but city life did not suit him and he returned to north Perthshire to begin as a forestry worker with Atholl estates in the early 1970s.

Happy times

Jim shared a hostel at Calvine and formed lifelong friendships with other estate workers and their families.

In 1974 he was invited to become an Atholl Highlander under RSM Jimmy Stewart.

As well as participating in the annual May Parade, Jim travelled with the army and pipe band to USA twice and South Africa once.

It was on these tours he took on the role of official barman and became known as Jimmy the Bar.

Estate

His main occupation on Atholl estates was forestry but he also had stints as a shepherd and helped the gamekeepers with the stags during the shooting season.

For a period, he also worked in forestry at Invercauld, Braemar, during which time he attended Lonach Highlander events as a representative of the Atholl Highlanders.

Jim’s last forestry job was at Snaigow estate for the Cadogan family, where, once again, he formed close friendships.

Marriage

It was at nearby Dunkeld he met his future wife Sheena.

They were together for 30 years, 28 of them married. During this time they enjoyed many holidays mainly in Scotland but had two memorable overseas trips – a family holiday to Canada and a safari to Kenya.

After being made redundant from Snaigow, Jim and Sheena moved to Murthly where Jim had various short-term jobs including driving for Lord Forteviot and a spell at Henderson Marquees of Blairgowrie.

Local authority

His final job, which lasted for 15 years, was with Perth and Kinross Council as a road sweeper.

Jim started off with a cart then progressed to driving one of the road sweeping machines and he was a familiar sight in the Alyth area.

He often enjoyed listening to the tales of the old farmers who would gather in the square at Alyth and Jim himself was a master story teller.

Jim Sherrit was a tractor enthusiast.

His wife Sheena said: “He could hold an audience with his tales of his younger days and exploits in Blair Atholl.

“He enjoyed heading out to the hills where he had worked, pottering around his garden and doing a bit of woodwork.

Reading

“During the first lockdown he made a bird table from bed frame. He enjoyed reading books about wildlife and followed One Man and His Dog in The Courier.”

Over the years, Jim bought and restored a number of tractors and took part in a number of summer runs.

At his funeral at Caputh Church, then cemetery, Atholl Highlanders were pall bearers and provided a guard of honour and piper.

You can read the family’s announcement here.