Cupar has known many proud sons, but few carried its name further – or with more determination – than Sir Bob Reid, the one-armed world golf champion turned global industrialist whose remarkable life was shaped, quite literally, by tragedy on the town’s Bonnygate.
Born on May 1 1934, the son of local butcher William Reid and his wife Elizabeth, young Bobby’s life changed forever as a nine-year-old in October 1943.
Helping out in the family butcher shop, his right hand was caught in a mincing machine.
The injury was “catastrophic”, he later said. He lost his hand and part of his forearm.
But what followed was nothing short of extraordinary.
Not only did he become a champion one-armed golfer, he went on to become chief executive of Shell, deputy governor of the Bank of Scotland and chairman of British Rail.
How have Cupar folk responded to news of Sir Bob Reid’s death?
Reacting to the recent news that Sir Bob Reid has died aged 91, Cupar Museum and Heritage Centre and Cupar Golf Club are leading heartfelt tributes to the man who never let adversity define him, and who never forgot the town that shaped his earliest years.
“The journey that Sir Bob Reid went on is hugely significant,” says Guthrie Hutton, chairman of Cupar Museum.
“And not just because of where he came from, but because of the disability he overcame.
“Losing his dominant hand and forearm at such a young age, and still going on to lead two of the country’s major institutions – Shell and British Rail – that’s remarkable.”
Bob later told how his severe injury only sharpened his desire to be part of the action.
Within two weeks of losing his arm, he taught himself to write with his left hand.
The Castlehill Primary pupil completed his schooling at Bell Baxter High School in Cupar and went on to study politics, economics and history at St Andrews University, where he also met his future wife, Joan Oram. They married in 1958.
But it was on the golf course where his defiance became visible to all.
Despite his injury, he took up the game with characteristic drive, developing a one-handed swing that would become legendary with a handicap of four.
How successful was Sir Bob Reid as a golfer?
By age 15, he was competing in national junior tournaments, and would go on to win the Society of One-Armed Golfers World Championship five times between 1954 and 1980.
In 1949, in one of his most celebrated moments, he came back from six down after seven holes to win his second-round match in the Boys’ Open at St Andrews on the 18th green of the Old Course.
In 1950 he reached the 3rd round of the Scottish Boys Open- carving his name into the club history at Cupar Golf Club, where he had been a junior member.
In the clubhouse today, a framed photo shows him mid-swing on the Old Course – one arm, one club, one unwavering focus.
Sir Bob met members when he returned to Cupar Golf Club for its open day in 2018.
Current Cupar Golf Club captain Stewart Wilson didn’t meet him that day.
However, he paid tribute to his determination to overcome adversity.
“It showed great strength in character, and he was obviously held in great regard by club members even as a young boy,” said Stewart.
Yet golf was only the beginning.
Sir Bob Reid embarked upon a high-flying career with Shell UK and British Rail
In 1956, Bob Reid joined Shell oil company as a management trainee. His career took him across continents – Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Australia – before bringing him back to the UK, where he became chairman and chief executive of Shell UK in 1985.
Nicknamed “the one-armed bandit”, his five years as chairman reinforced his reputation for energy, unstuffiness and charisma.
“Making things happen is a state of mind,” he would say later.
“The joy of leadership lies as much in overcoming setbacks as enjoying the rewards of success.”
He was knighted in 1990, the same year he was appointed chairman of British Rail, famously succeeding another Sir Robert Reid – “so they didn’t need to change the sign on the office door,” he liked to joke.
His time at British Rail coincided with the tumultuous years of privatisation, and he steered the organisation through with trademark diplomacy and tenacity.
His style was direct, unstuffy, and full of quiet charisma. For those who worked under him, he was a leader who believed in doing, not just deciding.
In later years, Sir Bob took on senior roles across finance, energy, retail and education, including as deputy governor of the Bank of Scotland, chairman of Sears Holdings, and the first chancellor of Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.
Other chairmanships included London Electricity, Avis Europe and the International Petroleum Exchange.
And yet, despite his global achievements, he never let go of Cupar.
What did Cupar mean to Sir Bob Reid?
In 2012, he returned to the town to open the newly established Cupar Museum and Heritage Centre, located in an unused building at the railway station. How fitting for a man who had once run British Rail.
“The museum is based in part of the old railway station building,” recalled Guthrie Hutton.
“We were working closely with ScotRail and the Railway Heritage Trust at the time, and they suggested inviting Sir Bob to perform the official opening.
“I wrote to him – can’t quite recall how I got his address – and got a phone call back from the man himself. He said he’d be delighted to do it.
“Well, then I heard nothing for a while and started getting a bit anxious! We’d even put out press releases saying he was coming, but had no firm confirmation. Then, on the day, in he walked – one-armed and smiling. A lovely man.”
Guthrie said it was particularly touching to see Sir Bob catch up with some of the local men he’d known growing up.
“People like Pete Cura turned up,” he smiled, noting that Pete’s obituary also recently appeared in The Courier.
“It was wonderful seeing them together again, just like old pals.
“You wouldn’t have known that one had gone on to be a national figure and the others had stayed local. It was just friendship. It was very touching.
“Just to see them laughing and reminiscing – equals, despite their different paths in life.”
Sir Bob Reid died on May 28 aged 91.
Predeceased by his wife Joan in 2017, he is survived by their three sons, Douglas, Paul and Michael.
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