Stewart Harper, of Carnoustie, who has died aged 74, was a diplomat and witness to some of the 20th century’s most momentous events.
He was caught up in the 1971 military coup in Sudan and then had a ringside seat as Watergate unfolded during his posting to Washington DC.
Stewart later worked from an office in Downing Street and saw Margaret Thatcher’s sweep to power to replace Jim Callaghan’s Labour Government in 1979.
In his spare time he served with the SAS territorials and, in later life, mixed with some of golf’s biggest stars as a caddie at Carnoustie.
He was with Jean van de Velde the day after he blew his chance of winning the 1999 Open. The French star asked him to throw his clubs in Barry Burn.
During his postings around the world with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Stewart mastered Japanese, Arabic, French and a bit of German.
This language skill allowed him to communicate with visitors from around the world when he took early retirement and returned to Carnoustie to take up caddying.
On the day of Stewart’s funeral, his hearse drove past Carnoustie golf course and fellow caddies formed a guard of honour.
Stewart was born in Carnoustie, the son of barber and councillor Ritchie Harper and his wife Gladys.
Education
He was educated at Kinloch primary school and Arbroath High School.
During summer holidays, Stewart worked as a caddie and had a spell as a postie.
In October 1964, aged 17, he joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as an archivist.
He met his future wife, Sheila, who came from Aberdeen and was working with Michelin in Chelsea. The couple married in 1969.
Sudan
In the early 1970s, Stewart was posted to the registry department of the British Embassy in Sudan where he had to shelter below his desk from the violence of the 1971 military coup.
Between 1973 and 1975 he was a diplomat in Washington DC when President Richard Nixon was forced to resign.
During his spell in Tokyo from 1975 until 1978, he became a karate purple belt and played for the embassy football team.
After a spell in London and then as vice-consul in Karachi, Pakistan, Stewart took up a final posting in Brussels and retired from the FCO in 1987.
The couple moved back to Carnoustie where Stewart caddied until 2014. He also worked part-time in the golf professional’s shop as well as being a follower of Dundee FC and a swimmer.
Stewart and Sheila were parents to Craig and Leila and grandparents to twins Jude and Scarlett.
