Plaque to honour Thomas Blake Glover
01/01/06
Thomas Blake Glover - the "Scottish Samurai" - is being honoured with a commemorative plaque at his one-time family home in Aberdeen.
The plaque has been erected on the front wall at 79 Balgownie Road, Bridge of Don, which is now a museum owned by the Grampian-Japan Trust.
The City Council plaque was proposed by Erik Stien of the Rotary Club of Balgownie.
Lord Provost John Reynolds (pictured below with Bill Bruce of the Rotary Club) visited Glover House today (Thursday) to admire the new plaque along with members of the Grampian-Japan Trust.
Born in Fraserburgh in 1838, Glover is seen as one of the founding fathers of the Japanese economic success.
He went to Japan at the age of 21, a year after the country had been opened for trade. His first ventures there were concerned with exporting refined Japanese tea.
He went on to introduce Japan's first railway locomotive, the first dry dock, the first mechanised coal mine and modern warships.
He also founded the Japan Brewing Company, makers of Kirin Beer and was instrumental in the establishment of the Mitsubishi Nagasaki shipyard.
In 1908, Glover was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by the Emperor for his role in the establishment of the Meiji government.
Although he died in 1911, Glover is still known today in Japan as the "Scottish Samurai".
Lord Provost John Reynolds said: "Thomas Blake Glover's reputation has always been well known in Japan and the house attracts many tourists to Aberdeen as well as helping to put the City on the global map. I am delighted that this new plaque commemorates what was his family home."
In commemoration of Glover, the club initiated the Rotary Thomas Glover Scholarship in 1995.
Since then every two years, the Rotary Clubs of Nagasaki and Nagasaki West have paid for a student from the University of Nagasaki to visit Aberdeen, hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Balgownie and Fraserburgh.
In the alternate years a student from the North-east visits Nagasaki and conducts a study visit there, hosted by Japanese Rotarians and their families.
Erik Stien, club vice-convener of International Service, said: "Over the last 10 years, this Rotary Thomas Glover scholarship has built considerable good will on a civic and personal level between Aberdeen and Nagasaki. As the Glover house is in our club's area we work closely with the museum to organise programmes for the visiting Japanese student in alternate years.
"The new commemorative plaque builds on these good foundations and the Rotary Club of Balgownie is delighted to support this commemoration of the Blake Glover family home."
Mr Stien was joined at the house today by fellow Rotarians Bill Bruce, International Service Convener, and Allan Thom, Public Relations Officer, who has prepared a slide presentation on the history of the Rotary Thomas Glover Award.
A bound copy of the presentation was presented for display in the museum.
The house owner, the Grampian-Japan Trust, was set up in 1996 and comprises representatives of Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and the Japan Scotland Society.
The City Council's Education and Leisure Committee recently agreed that Aberdeen City Council's Museums and Galleries service would take over the running of Glover House on behalf of the Trust, for the next couple of years.
It is anticipated that the House will open to the public this summer until October.
Visit Aberdeen City Council's commemorative plaques web pages at http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/xcp_Plaque.asp
