Being shot at close quarters by a rampaging German with a revolver was not the sort of thing to put Andrew Houstoun off his stride.
He was in the middle of leading a dismounted party from his troop against an enemy outpost when the incident happened but he carried on the fight, remaining cool-headed and in control of the situation until the position was wiped out.
The confrontation in a wood near Uelzen, in northern Germany, was one of many occasions during the Second World War’s European campaign when Lieutenant Houstoun displayed what his superiors hailed as “the greatest powers of leadership and disregard for his own safety”. In the Netherlands, when his troop was helping to keep the Nijmegen-Eindhoven road open, he was also wounded but was instrumental in delaying several advancing German tanks for long enough to allow American anti-tank gunners to get into position and finally hold off the tank attack. Despite his injuries he remained in command of his troop until the emergency was over and a medical officer ordered him back.
Houstoun, who had overcome polio as a teenager, always maintained that he and most of his company had a good war. But that was largely due to his exceptional soldiering skills, composure and strong courageous streak coupled with an ability to inspire his men — attributes recognised with the award of the Military Cross in 1946.
“Lt Houstoun’s ability and courage as a troop leader were responsible for many Germans being killed or captured and much enemy equipment being destroyed,” the citation stated. “This officer’s outstanding leadership and personal courage has been a continual inspiration to his squadron.”
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Houstoun, who went on to become an army major, farmer and vice lord-lieutenant of Angus, was born on the West Sussex border to Isabel and William Houstoun, who had returned home to farm after working in Calcutta on duties including responsibility for the British India Steam Navigation Company.
Their son was educated at Harrow and holidays were spent in Angus, where the family rented a grouse moor on the Airlie estate each summer. He had been expected to go up to Oxford but by that time the Second World War had broken out and on the eve of his interview he was so busy clearing fire bombs from a neighbour’s roof that he completely forgot his university appointment. He ended up going into the army, which suited him as he had hoped to do so anyway, and after initial training as a trooper he attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
His first posting, in 1943, was to Homs, Syria, with C Squadron, The Royal Dragoons. Later that year he served in Italy. In 1944 he was on the French coast, aiding 12 Corps with beach landings, before returning to C Squadron until the end of the war when he was one of the first Allies to enter Copenhagen. His squadron had been deployed to liberate Denmark on VE Day but en route they came across a German U-boat captain who had not heard news that the conflict was over. A show of force persuaded him to surrender. It was the Royal Dragoons’ last action of the war.
In peacetime Houstoun was stationed in Germany, as second-in-command of his squadron, where he was also involved in the War Crimes Commission. He then became adjutant to the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry for three years from 1949 before returning to the Royal Dragoons, this time in Egypt at the Suez Canal.
He had met his future wife Mary Spencer-Nairn while living in Fife and they married in 1953, not long after he had marched in the Coronation parade. After his command of C Squadron in Egypt they moved to Germany, where their first son, William, was born.
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Three more sons, David, Sandy and Neil, followed. William is the general manager at Angus Growers, David farms at Glenkilrie in Glenshee with his wife, Morag, and son Andrew. Sandy is a retired policeman who helps his wife, Susan, with her upholstery business and Neil is an accountant.
A couple of years after the move to Germany the offer of a farm with some good shooting near Kirriemuir prompted Houstoun to retire from the regular army, though he subsequently took command as lieutenant-colonel of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry as a territorial. He combined farming with politics as a county councillor, while also taking on roles in various other organisations throughout the county. He was heavily involved in the National Farmers’ Union and was convenor of the Scottish Landowners’ Federation, serving as its European representative, work for which he was awarded the OBE in 1983.
He was also a justice of the peace, a member of Dundee University court, a trustee of the National Trust for Scotland and a deputy lieutenant for Angus, before becoming vice lord-lieutenant. He and Mary lived at Lintrathen Lodge in Angus and farmed at Clintlaw, Lintrathen and at Glenkilrie for 35 years. Then, following his third hip replacement, the couple downsized near by. They created a beautiful garden with a rhododendron collection, which they opened to visitors in aid of the local parish churches where he was a loyal member. Sharp and witty, with a wonderful sense of humour, Andrew Houstoun remained a fascinating character and a walking encyclopaedia on subjects from country life to war and local history.
Andrew Beatty Houstoun, OBE, MC, DL, soldier and farmer, was born on October 15, 1922. He died on December 16, 2017, aged 95