MacLean, Alistair

The Scottish author Alistair Stuart MacLean was born in Shettleston, Glasgow, in a Gaelic-speaking family as Alasdair MacGill-Eain (his Gaelic name was anglicised by the British authorities). His father was a Church of Scotland minister. While the author was still a baby, the family moved to a farm near Daviot in the Highlands. After the death of his father, his mother returned to Glasgow with her four sons in 1937. MacLean attended Hillhead High School where he read English, history and Latin, but he never completed his studies since he was drafted to the Royal Navy in 1941. He served in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Far East throughout World War II. He based several of his thrillers on his war experiences.