I'm Givin' Her All She's Got, Captain!
James Montgomery Doohan was born on March 3, 1920 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The youngest of four children in an Scottish family, James excelled in mathematics and science. Doohan's father, a chemist, pharmacist, and veterinarian reportedly invented an early form of high-octane gasoline, and unfortunately for James, was also an alcoholic.
As war broke out in Europe, James signed up with the Canadian Armed Forces, and became a member of the 14th (Midland) Field Battery, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division of the Royal Canadian Artillery. He was soon commissioned a Lieutenant in the 14th Field Artillery Regiment of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, and sent to England for training.
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James first combat experience was his landing at Juno Beach on D-Day. Moments after laying his boots on the sands, James managed to shoot two German snipers, then leading his men though a field of anti tank mines, to the safety of higher ground. Once securing their defensive positions, the Canadians held for the night. Unfortunately, that very night, as James was making his way from one Command Post to another, a nervous Canadian sentry opened fire and managed to hit James 6 times. Four rounds to the leg, one to the chest, and one striking his hand, through his middle index finger.
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James life was spared by a silver cigarette case that his brother had given to him…by providence, James choose to keep on the chest pocket of his jacket, and it was that silver case that stopped the bullet to his chest, on his first, and last day of combat service on the ground.
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Once James was able to get back on his feet, he entered the Air Observation Pilot Course along with 40 fellow Canadian artillery officers, where he was trained to fly the Talorcraft Auster Mark V aircraft, and was assigned to the 666 Squadron of the RCAF in support of the 1st Army Group Royal Artillery.
Technically James was still a Canadian artillery officer, and not a member of the RCAF, none the less, he had somehow earned himself the nickname of “craziest pilot in the Canadian Air Force”
According to legend, James took a Hurricane up for a hop in the spring of 1945 north of RAF Andover, then proceeded to drop to treetop level, and began to use telegraph poles as a makeshift slalom course "to prove it can be done”.
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Truth be told, the story is an internet myth. It wasn’t a Hurricane, it was an Auster Mark V, and his superiors were not amused.
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After the war, James returned to Canada, and took an interest in drama school. becoming an actor, James appeared in multiple television shows before auditioning for the role of chief engineer on some new sci fi series being put together by producer Gene Roddenberry.
James got the job, and drawing on his Scottish roots, James advised his new boss "If you want an engineer, in my experience the best engineers are Scotsmen.”, Doohan himself chose Scotty's first name, Montgomery (Doohan's own middle name), in honor of his maternal grandfather James Montgomery, and so, in 1966, Montomery “Scotty” Scott, Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise joined the ranks of James T Kirk, and Commander Spock on their mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.
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Sadly, the Star Trek series failed to reach great heights in their Nielson ratings, NBC cancelled the show, and disbanded the crew after airing for only three seasons...
Much to the surprise of the Network Broadcast Company execs, the 79 episodes of cancelled show slowly gained a following in broadcast syndication that not only persisted, but grew to become a cult classic, and in 1979, James rejoined the crew of the USS Enterprise for their jump to the big screen. The first of six blockbuster feature films who’s production would run until 1991 with the release of “Undiscovered Country”, James final appearance on board the Enterprise as Chief Engineer.
James Doohan was proud of his role of Scotty, and much unlike other members of the cast, he truly loved meeting fans at Star Trek conventions, and he especially appreciated hearing how many engineers were inspired by his work in Star Trek. As a matter of fact, at the end of James Doohan’s very last public appearance, a gentleman walked up to him and said in a quiet manner “from one engineer to another, thanks mate.”
That engineers name was Neil Armstrong.
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On July 20, 2005, at 5:30 in the morning, James Doohan flew west due to complications of pulmonary fibrosis, which was believed to be from exposure to noxious substances during his service in World War II
But that is not where the story of James Doohan ends…
On May 22 2012, at precisely 7:44 UTC; a Falcon 9 rocket ignited 1.7 million pounds of thrust, and left Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with a thunderous roar. Riding the hypersonic pillars of cloud stretching towards the heavens, was non other than the ashes of James Montgomery Doohan, loving known to the rest of us as "Scotty"
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Do you have any pictures or information of my uncle’s B17 BIT OF LACE designed by Milton Conniff who was a cartoonist and fraternity brother of my uncle JOHN BAUMAN at the sigma fi fraternity at the UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO?
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