David Mackenzie

David Mackenzie was educated at Morrison’s Academy, Crieff, and Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh, where became noticed for his sporting talents as a runner and rugby player. Unfortunately the outbreak of World War II put a hold on his sporting career and, in 1941, he was commissioned into the Royal Air Force (RAF), where he was a pilot of both fighter planes and bombers.

At the end of the War, Mackenzie continued with his studies at Edinburgh University, from where he received an MA in history. He also continued with his sporting career, and was captain of the University athletics club and a member of the rugby first XV. He played for Scotland Universities against their English counterparts in 1947 and shortly afterwards he made his full Scotland international début as a wing three-quarter against Wales at Murrayfield. He won six Scottish caps in the 1947 and 1948 Five Nations tournaments. Mackenzie also played for the Barbarians and on Boxing Day 1947, in their annual fixture against Leicester, he scored a hat-trick of tries in a 15-10 win.

In 1948, having beaten the holder Allan Watt to win the Sottish 220 yards title, Mackenzie was honoured with selection for the Great Britain 4x400 metres relay squad at the London Olympics, but was a non-starter. After the War, Macenzie joined the Royal Canadian Navy and later played rugby for Canada, including touring Japan with them in 1959. He resigned from the Navy in 1961 as a lieutenant-commander, and became Headmaster of Brentwood College on Vancouver Island, where he also taught history and coached rugby. Ill-health forced Mackenzie to retire from Brentwood in 1976, but he bounced back and worked in Hong Kong for a while, before returning to Canada, where he helped found several schools in the Vancouver area. He continued teaching until beyond his 80th birthday.