January 2nd 2010 saw the sudden death of David R Ross.
David R Ross became known as “the biker historian” after writing a string of highly acclaimed books on Scottish history, notably about William Wallace. For his research, he travelled his native land in full black leathers on his black Kawasaki motorcycle. At 6ft 5in tall, and in the kilt when not in leathers, he was often told he’d have made a far better Wallace in Braveheart than “that wee Aussie”. Nevertheless, Ross respected Mel Gibson’s 1995 movie and believed it “raised the profile of Wallace and pricked the Scottish psyche to a great extent. There had been nothing like this in Scotland since 1978 when we were going to win the World Cup in Argentina with Ally’s Army,” he said. In 2005, the 700th anniversary of Wallace’s judicial murder.
Ross gained domestic and international prominence when he set off on a Walk for Wallace, retracing his hero’s final trip from Robroyston, Glasgow, where he had been betrayed and captured, to Smithfield in London, where he was hanged, drawn and quartered. Along the 450-mile way, “Big Davy” was cheered by Scots and hundreds joined him for the final six-mile hike into London. There, he presided over a symbolic funeral service for Wallace at the St Bartholomew the Great church in Smithfield, close to the spot where he died. Ross’s dream, was to bring the Scottish patriot “home” for a symbolic funeral he had been denied 700 years earlier when his body was cut into pieces to be displayed throughout the land as a warning to other would-be independence fighters. Ross and his supporters carried a coffin they said was carrying Wallace’s spirit, packed with letters, poems and good wishes from Scots.
On their return to Scotland, they held a torchlit parade in Lanark and buried the coffin there, at St Kentigern’s church.
Ross was serving convener of the Society of William Wallace, set up to preserve the memory of the Scottish patriot, which meets in Elderslie, Renfrewshire, where Wallace is thought to have been born.
David R. Ross died on 2 January 2010 in his home in East Kilbride due to a heart attack.
Sadly I never got to meet David as I only started taking an active part in the memorials and such of Scottish Battles since around 2012, but I have heard many people talk about him, and know just like another convener of the Society of William Wallace, Duncan Fenton, who I did know, David was a very well respected man.
You can read David’s own biography on his blog here http://davidrross.scot/biog.htm?fbclid=IwAR2oNwNhYr8jLltv3w6S7R7wSWXaLYWimPTGASE03NG8vi4Sq0r1UZ5Kvi8
