Remembering Alasdair Carnegie

Alasdair was born in St. Andrews, Fife and brought up on the Shetland Islands and in Inverness.

He lost his left leg above the knee as a result of injuries sustained in military service with the Royal Engineers between September 1953 and October 1963.

After leaving the Armed Forces as a Lieutenant he joined Esso Petroleum as an engineer. Alasdair was asked to join the Disabled Drivers’ Motor Club (DDMC) and soon became a member of the club’s National Committee. Within a few years, his expertise and knowledge led to his appointment as the club’s chairman.

Under Alasdair’s leadership, the DDMC blossomed and he set up a working group to look at amalgamating with the Disabled Drivers Association. This, in turn, led to the formation of a
single charity; Disabled Motoring UK. As his experience in the disability world grew, he was invited to join the Executive Committee of Disablement in London.

In 1980, Alasdair became a founding director of the charity Employment Opportunities
for the Disabled, which specialised in  helping disabled people find their way into employment. He served as Chairman of the Portsmouth Disability Forum, established and chaired the Hampshire Strategy Group on Employment and Disability, and represented Portsmouth (and more generally the UK) at functional rehabilitation conferences all over Europe.

As a member of the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics he worked with Aberdeen University on the development of the Aberdeen Pressure Cushion and acted as a guinea pig in the development of the total surface bearing socket which addressed the effects of high pressure points and the frailty of human tissue of prosthetics wearers.

On many occasions, being a member of both Blesma and the Limbless Association, Alasdair was consulted regarding issues that are faced by amputees in everyday life. His work with various charities and groups has led to many improvements for Service and ex-Service amputees, as well as their civilian counterparts.

Alasdair also wrote five books, all available on Amazon. His first, I Leapt To My Foot, is a memoir that reflects, with humour, his personal progress through five decades living as an amputee.