Jul 25 - Fifty Years Since Rock Sketch Impresses Scottish Schoolboy - Who Was J Azagury?
Whilst on a school cruise aboard the MS Devonian in 1964, Alan Russell, who was 15 at the time, visited Gibraltar. He was a pupil at the John Neilston Institution in Paisley, Scotland, and a chance encounter with a kind stranger who gave him a sketch of the Rock has lingered in his memory all these years.
At each port the educational cruise visited, the pupils were required to carry out different tasks and, upon reaching Gibraltar, they were asked to sketch and write about the Rock. While the students were busy sketching away, a gentleman approached them, asked what they were doing, pulled out a notebook and sat with the group and drew the Rock (pictured to the left) while telling stories about Gibraltar’s history.
Once he finished he gave Alan the sketch and wished the school group well. Alan says that thanks to his sketch and what they had learned from him, his group was awarded a merit.
“I am now 65 years young,” says Alan, “and every time I look through old photos, I find the sketch and always think about who J Azagury was.”
If anyone has any information relating to this gentleman, please drop us a line at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we’ll be more than happy to pass your message to Alan.
