James Frizzell

Born at Cranshaws Farm, Berwickshire, the first of Jim and Annie Frizzel’s five children; a brother to Ina, Betty, Ann, affectionately Jenny and John known to all as Jackie.

Born at Cranshaws Farm, Berwickshire, the first child of Jim and Annie Frizzel nee Runciman, Jimmy lived with his sisters Ina and Betty born at Redsheugh Farm, Gorebridge and Ann, Jenny and his younger brother John, who were all born at Whitburgh on the Roseberry Estate near Pathhead, and then moved to various other farms in East Lothian during his childhood, where his father Jim worked as a shepherd.

Jimmy ‘joined up’ at the outbreak of WW2 and served for 6 years in the Royal Artillery reaching the rank of sergeant. He was stationed in the middle east and saw action up through Italy.

During the war he met and was married in 1942 to Agnes Mercer Brown from East Saltoun, their first son Jimmy was born in 1943.

After leaving the army Jimmy returned to Aberlady and obtained a job as under shepherd at Craigielaw Farm on the Wemyss and March Estates. It was at Craigielaw that the family was completed by the arrival of Tom in 1946 and Ian in 1948. The family moved firstly to Carrington in 1956 and then to Dolphinston Farm near Jedburgh in 1958 so that Jimmy’s senior and junior could take on a double ‘herding, on Jimmy junior’s leaving school.

Jimmy was made redundant after 25 years at Dolphinston on the sale of the sheep from the farm and retired to Bellsquarry before moving to Orchard cottage at Longniddry back on the Wemyss Estate, It was there that Nan, sadly, died in 1996. This prompted Jimmy to move back to the borders to be nearer his family, living in Ancrum before ill health made him decide to move into Milfield Garden Home in Jedburgh. It was at Milfield, where his room overlooked Queen Mary’s house and garden, he lived for several years until his death in 2008. He is survived by his sons Tom and Ian, his grand and great grandchildren, Jimmy junior sadly died from cancer in 1998.