James Lusk

Born in Lanarkshire on September 19, 1878, he was educated at Uddingston School and the West of Scotland Technical College in Glasgow. He later entered St John's College, Cambridge, where he studied mechanical sciences, rowed for Lady Margaret crews, and took his degree in 1905.

After Cambridge, he returned to Scotland and joined the family-connected steel business, David Colville and Sons at the Dalzell Works in Motherwell. Alongside his engineering work, he was active in local public life and in the Territorial Army, eventually serving with the 6th Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles).

During the First World War he went to France in 1915 and was recognized for his conduct in the field, receiving the French Legion of Honour and being mentioned in despatches. He died in France on December 29, 1915, from wounds received in trench fighting, and is remembered today through Letters & Memories, the collection that preserves his correspondence and the impression he made on family, friends, and comrades.