Ian Hamilton Finlay

Ian Hamilton Finlay, CBE (28 October 1925 – 27 March 2006) was a Scottish poet, writer, artist and gardener.

Finlay was born in Nassau, Bahamas, to James Hamilton Finlay and his wife, Annie Pettigrew, both of Scots descent.

He was educated at Dollar Academy in Clackmannanshire and later at Glasgow School of Art. At the age of 13, with the outbreak of the Second World War, he was evacuated to family in the countryside. In 1942, he joined the British Army.[5] Finlay was married twice and had two children, Alec and Ailie. He died in Edinburgh. He is buried with his parents and wife in Abercorn Churchyard in West Lothian. The grave lies in the extreme south-east corner of the churchyard.