The very fine Queen’s Birthday Honours 1965 Harland and Wolff Chairman’s Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Great War Indian Ocean and Mediterranean service, and Commander of the Norwegian Order of Saint Olav and Danish Order of Dannebrog group awarded to Mr. John Strachan Baillie, C.B.E., who worked for the renowned shipbuilding firm of Harland and Wolff Ltd of Belfast from 1913 through to 1965 when he retired as Chairman after three years in the post, he having worked in the London office since the 1920’s. Baillie was a gifted salesman and financier, and ‘was involved in the difficult negotiations with banks and creditors which ensured the shipyard’s survival during the lean Thirties. During the Second World War the shipyard was busy again and the workforce rose to 52,000.’ However ‘his skill as a salesman came to the fore again in the late Forties and Fifties when the shipyard landed a number of major contracts, including the P&O flagship Canberra, launched in 1960.’ Appointed as a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav in 1960, and a Commander of the Danish Order of Dannebrog in 1964, he was then appointed a Commander of the Civil Division of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in June 1965.
Group of 6: The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Commander, C.B.E., 2nd type, Civil Division, silver-gilt and enamels, housed in its Garrard & Co ’to The Queen’ fitted presentation case; 1914-1915 Star; (J.L. BAILLEE, STD., M.F.A.), housed in the remnants of its correctly named card box of issue; British War Medal and Victory Medal; (PAYR. S. LT J.S. BAILLIE. R.N.R.), these housed in the remnants of their correctly named card box of issue; Norway - Kingdom of: Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav, Commander Grade neck badge, post 1937 issue with crown, gold and enamels, complete with length of neck ribbon as issued, and housed in its fitted presentation case by J. Tostrup of Oslo, this inside its rare outer card box for a ‘Kommandor’ grade insignia, that is inscribed in ink: ‘Herr direktor John S. Baillie’; Denmark - Kingdom: Order of Dannebrog (Dannebrogorden), Commander Grade, Frederick IX issue (1947-1972), silver-gilt and enamels, complete with neck ribbon and ties, this housed in its fitted presentation case by A. Michelsen of Copenhagen.
Condition: fifth with very slight discolouration to enamel on reverse from the process of production, otherwise Extremely Fine.
A swing mounted Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav Commander Grade miniature medal, complete with correct rosette, silver-gilt and enamels; also the appropriate lapel rosette device, these contained in a J. Tostrup of Oslo case.
John Strachan Baillie, surname incorrectly spelt Baillee on second medal, was born on 28 July 1896 in Belfast, Ireland, where his family resided at Knock. His father was William Thomas Baillieand his mother, Georgina Scott Strachan. After being educated at Queen’s University in Belfast, In 1913 he joined the renowned shipbuilding firm of Harland and Wolff, a firm also based in Belfast. The firm was famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the White Star Line, including the Olympic-class trio - RMS Olympic, RMS Titanic, and the RMS Britannic.
With the outbreak of the Great War, Baillie, who appears to have served under the surname of Baillee, joined the Merchant Fleet Auxiliary as a Steward, and saw active service prior to his joining the Royal Navy for ‘hostilities only’ as a Writer 3rd Class (Chatham No.M.18286) with Pembroke on 3 January 1916. He then saw service aboard the armoured cruiser Euryalus from 10 January 1916, in which month she became the flagship on the East Indies Station and he remained with her until she was relieved of this position, being then posted to Egmont, the Malta shore base at Birgu from 18 July 1917, from where he was commissioned as a temporary Assistant Paymaster into the Royal Naval Reserve on 4 October 1917, being appointed to the Staff of the Chief of the Staff to the British Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean. He performed good work in the office of the Operations Branch, and did ‘most faithful service throughout the war’, being demobilised as a Paymaster Sub Lieutenant on 8 August 1919.
Baillie then returned to his work with Harland and Wolff. He spent ‘most of his career at the shipyard’s London office from 1924, working under the great shipbuilders of the century, Lord Pirrie and Sir Frederick Rebbick. He assumed charge of the London office in 1937 when appointed assistant company secretary.’ From 1945 he was the Manager of the London office, and Director from 1947 and Deputy Chairman from 1958.
Baillie was a gifted salesman and financier, and ‘was involved in the difficult negotiations with banks and creditors which ensured the shipyard’s survival during the lean Thirties. During the Second World War the shipyard was busy again and the workforce rose to 52,000.’ However ‘his skill as a salesman came to the fore again in the late Forties and Fifties when the shipyard landed a number of major contracts, including the P&O flagship Canberra, launched in 1960.’
‘He also forged close links with Norwegian and Danish shipowners. These yielded benefits for the shipyard more than three decades later with the support for the management buy-out plan from Oslo businessman Fred Olsen.
Baillie was honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his services as Chairman of Harland and Wolff Ltd of Belfast, being appointed a Commander of the Civil Division of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, the award being published in the London Gazette for 12 June 1965, and also announced in the Belfast Gazette for 12 June 1965. In addition he was made a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav in 1960, and a Commander of the Danish Order of Dannebrog in 1964.
After three years as the Chairman of Harland and Wolff, he retired in 1965. He was also Deputy Chairman of Brown Brothers and Company from 1962 to 1967, and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights. Baillie had been living in Surrey since the 1930’s, having a wife and son, and he died on 14 November 1989 in Merton, near to Guildford.
