Archie MacDonald

A member of the famous MacDonald Clan, Archie Macdonald was born on the Isle of Skye where he was known also by his Gaelic name of Archie Mòr. As a 20-year-old in 1915 he joined the Royal Navy and served in World War I. After the war he joined the Glasgow Police where he served as a sergeant. MacDonald was known throughout the city as Bonnie Archie but, despite his seemingly friendly nickname, he was a magnificent figure of a man and was feared by the criminals of the City. After he was recruited in 1931 for a crack new team of Untouchables formed by the new Chief Constable Sir Percy Sillitoe, he and his colleagues became the scourge of the Glasgow underworld. It was during his time in the force that Archie would have spent time in one of the Glasgow police gymnasia to develop his freestyle wrestling skills in what was then called ‘catch-as-catch-can’ wrestling.

After the Great War he quickly became Scottish champion and was selected to compete in the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp but lost his only bout to the much heavier Swede Ernst Nilsson. In Paris four years later Archie won the bronze medal without winning a single bout. He was defeated twice and then a series of walkovers led to him being placed third and in that medal-winning position. Archie turned to boxing and in 1928 was the Scottish police heavyweight champion. He retired from the police shortly before the Second World War and took up the post as the Customs Officer at Kyle of Lochalsh on the north-west coast of Scotland. He retired in 1960 and returned to his family home at Sleat on the Island of Skye.