The late Harry Galbraith’s daughter Meriel has paid tribute to her father, the former head teacher of Queen Elizabeth II High School in Peel.

Mr Galbraith was appointed to the school’s top job in 1985, and worked there until he was succeeded by Sue Moore in 1998 - who is now retiring.

Aged 83, his funeral was held last week.

Meriel said that throughout his long career it was ’always all about the children and wanting them to get the best chance that they could get and their education and good life’.

Born and raised in Douglas (Pulrose), Mr Galbraith attended King William’s College after earning a scholarship.

At school he played rugby and cricket, sports which he remained passionate about for the rest of his life - later playing cricket at county level.

interpreter

Following this he went to do his national service with the RAF, where he served as a Russian interpreter at intelligence listening posts during the Cold War.

Mr Galbraith then gained a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, but only lasted two hours - thinking that the way acting was taught there was ’very pretentious’ - though he did meet actor Anthony Hopkins, who was in the same class.

After this, during the 1960s he went into the police in St Albans, Hertfordshire, which led to a moment that sparked his interest in teaching - when he was sent to give a course in cycling proficiency at a school, an experience he ’really enjoyed’, with the headmistress remarking that ’you’re in the wrong job, you should be a teacher’.

Mr Galbraith then enrolled on a teacher training course, and after completing that went on to gain a first-class degree in history and philosophy at King’s College, Cambridge.

His first teaching job was at primary school in England for a few years, before becoming deputy head at Broxbourne High School in 1976, where he also taught history.

His next job was at Queen Elizabeth II High School, with Meriel explaining that the island was somewhere to which he always wanted to return, being a ’proud Manxman’.

Alongside sports and children’s education, Meriel talked about how his other lifelong passion was music.

Mr Galbraith had a long-time involvement with the Douglas Choral Union, and also helped set up an organisation called Island Opera - which brought famous opera singers over to perform here.

choir

And he was a member of the island’s Regal Singers choir for more than 40 years, with Meriel saying that conductor Alan Wilcocks did much to encourage her father’s singing in the early years.

Mr Galbraith was married to Dorothy (Dot) and also had two grandchildren, Ethan and Rebecca.