Edinburgh’s gentleman FoC

JIM ROBERTSON, who has died in an Edinburgh hospital at the age of 69 after a long illness, was known as “Gentleman Jim” — appropriately, for he was an even-tempered, fair-minded man.

As a general reporter, he could tackle any story, however awkward, with accuracy and balance. His shorthand was fluent and he could dictate straight from his notebook to a copytaker.

Jim was born in Falkirk and joined the Grangemouth Advertiser as a trainee reporter from school. He worked successively, always in Edinburgh, for the Evening Dispatch, the Glasgow Herald, the Scottish Daily Express, the Scotsman and the Daily Record, where he was on the staff for 17 years.

His calm nature stood a severe test in 1986 when staff in the Record office in Edinburgh were subjected to a wave of redundancies announced by Robert Maxwell. As FoC, Jim remained steadfast and encouraging, qualities that strengthened workmates who were anxious and dispirited. He was a life member of the NUJ.

Chris Reekie