Brigadier Iain Scott Taylor OBE, former cadet commandant for Scotland, has died at his home in Kellas at the age of 81.
He was in overall charge of Scotland’s 11,000 army cadets for five years until 1994, and he received the honour at Buckingham Palace in 1991.
In a long and distinguished career, he held the Territorial Decoration and he was in charge of the Combined Cadet Forces, chairman of the Scottish Veterans Residences’ Association and chairman of the house committee at the SVRA’s Rosendael in Broughty Ferry.
He also chaired the Earl Haig Fund in Dundee and the Lord Armitstead Trust. He was a member of the Hammermen Trade and of the Guildry Incorporation of Dundee.
A native of Dundee, Brigadier Taylor was educated at the High School and enlisted in its cadet force at the age of 11. He later moved to Merchiston in Edinburgh and served in its cadet force.
He was commissioned into the Royal Air Force for his national service in 1950 and spent two years as a pilot officer with the RAF Regiment in Germany.
Returning to Scotland, he joined the territorial Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and remained with them for 21 years through their amalgamation with the Scottish Horse, and was their commanding officer.
He joined Angus and Dundee ACF as commandant in 1976 and retired from the post in 1988.
Away from his military career he was a jute merchant before becoming an engineering merchant, first with Taylor Stewart and then with John Cooper & Sons Ltd which were both based on Bell Street, Dundee.
He was also president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce in Dundee.
He is survived by his wife Nancy, sons Alastair and Andrew, daughters Shirley and Sandra, and 11 grandchildren. His funeral will be held on Wednesday at Murroes Parish Church where he was an elder.