Glasgow businessman known for aviation prints. An appreciation

Born: October 1931;

Died: July 6, 2017

ALAN Bryce Carlaw, who has died aged 85, was a businessman who had a passionate and lifelong interest in aviation which led to him co-founding Squadron Prints, a company which produces prints of aircraft for squadrons around the world. The many emails I have received all say the same thing: that Alan was a real gentleman, great to be with and work with and a treasured friend.

He was educated at Bearsden Academy and after his mother died was sent to Strathallan but completed his education at Glasgow Academy. He did his national service in the Royal Air Force during the early 1950s at RAF Leuchars, as an armourer , and took a particular interest in the resident 43(F) Squadron, The Fighting Cocks.

Before his national service, he had completed an engineering apprenticeship at J&G Weir of Cathcart. It is not too surprising that being a scion of the Carlaw family, well known in Glasgow and elsewhere in the motor business, that he would join the firm. However his interests were particularly in engineering - the Carlaws were involved in engineering through David Carlaw Ltd and the Glasgow Numerical Printing Company. The GNP were the first to print our Squadron Prints, a small business which Alan and I formed in 1977 and which was sold to Gill Howie and Berry Vissers in 2000.

Being a skilled photographer Alan had many of his images published in the aviation press and was a weel kent figure around RAF Leuchars and many other bases. This led to him becoming a very active member of the 43 (F) Squadron association.

He was an enthusiast, a great thing to be but not only for aircraft and aviation but for motor sport, indulging in rallying and being involved in its organisation. He also had an interest in railways and was one of the small group who built and operated a wonderful working model based on the Swiss Railways. This won a number of awards at model rail shows.

In Glasgow he became a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and then the Chamber itself.

Sometime around 1975 he bumped into the then Air Commodore Paddy Hine, director of public relations for the Royal Air Force, at a Red Arrows guest night. Hine was a distinguished fighter pilot and great guy - later Air Chief Marshal and C in C Strike Command. Alan was put on the central list of press contacts and invitations and began receiving all the RAF PR press material and invitations.

We were introduced to each other at the 60th anniversary of 43(F) Squadron at RAF Leuchars. We had strong mutual interests and I had seen his photographs in various magazines such as Air Pictorial.

The year 1977 saw The Queen’s Silver Jubilee and a magnificent Royal Review was held at RAF Finningley in July 1977. Alan had received two invitations to the press/rehearsal day and since his wife Audrey wasn’t keen to go, he gave me the spare. We travelled down and during a comfort stop on the M62 I showed him my drawing of a Phantom. This was an orthographic side elevation, ie a true view but rendered realistically as faithful to that aircraft with all its individual idiosyncrasies as I could manage. I had done it as a kind of demonstration for students on CS10 board using Humbrol enamel paints.

On the return journey home Alan had the notion of making a print of it He suggested litho prints as he was at the time joint MD of the family firm, Carlaw Cars, which owned the old established Glasgow Numerical Printing Company at Finnieston - they had specialised in printing tram and bus tickets inventing a means of individually numbering them.

I was, at the time in charge of industrial/product design at Glasgow School of Art but still engaging in professional design as was then encouraged, even required for the lecturing staff.

A print run of 500 was duly produced and given the state of the printing art came out quite well.

The intention was for 43 Squadron to sell them for squadron funds at the RAF Leuchars ‘At Home’ day in September 1977. They went well and Alan had the notion of doing maybe a dozen of the principal types then in service. We ended up doing around 750 including special and other editions and some ships for the Royal Navy.

We had established from the beginning an ethos of excellence. The basic idea was to depict a particular aircraft in true elevation at a particular time with all its individual peculiarities, with a pilot and incorporating a short squadron history and the squadron badge plus any other appropriate emblems. The squadrons would choose their aircraft.

Alan, a fine draughtsman, took on the job of doing the badges and on occasion advised the MoD as to the correct image.

As I took on other positions in GSA, latterly as its director, my time became limited but it was a great relief after ten rounds with the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council to retire to my studio and draw an aeroplane. Alan’s evening calls were always eagerly awaited as he gave me a rundown on where we were and what new orders and enquiries he had received.

Many great enduring friendships were created in the services and we were truly privileged to witness them at close quarters at work and play - the RAF and Navy particularly.

High points must be my Phantom trip which started it all - visits to HMS Ark Royal IV in the Phantom and Buccaneer days, the trip in the BBMF Lancaster and my trip in the nuclear submarine HMS/M Dreadnought but there were many other fascinating visits, to operational bases, crew rooms and messes. The 1991 Leuchars ‘At Home’ day was one of the most remarkable ever and I attended them for well over 50 years.

No one could have had a finer friend or business partner than I had in Alan Carlaw. He was in every way a true gentleman and I mourn his passing deeply.

He was married to Audrey for over 50 years they had three daughters, Alison, Sally and Debbie, and seven grandchildren.

DUGALD CAMERON