Mystery death at controversial Fife home solved.

Light shed on how Alexander Harvey died in Falkland almost 60 years ago

A 58-year-old mystery that led to speculation a young boy buried in Falkland Cemetery was a “forgotten victim” of abuse has been laid to rest.

Alexander Harvey’s best friend has ended the rumours by getting in touch with The Courier to say he died of natural causes after a boxing match.

The 14-year-old, who died in 1960, had been linked to the recently-publicised abusive regime at Falkland’s former St Ninian’s School.

The youngster’s grave is between two men of the Christian Brotherhood – Richard Albeus Fitton, who died at Falkland aged 75 in 1958, and John Kevin Nugent, who died aged 78 in 1977.

It led some locals to believe that Harvey, thought to be an orphan, died at St Ninian’s in suspicious circumstances.

However, that suggestion is unfounded, according to 71-year-old George Ricketts, formerly of Edinburgh and now living in Morocco.

He contacted The Courier this week after reading coverage of the mystery from 2016.

The former Casablanca-based English teacher, who now helps teach Moroccan Arabic-English, said: “I was a young boy at St Ninian’s at the same time as Alex, in fact one of his close friends.

“I was present on the occasion when he took part in the boxing match that led to his death.

“Alex was not a very physically fit person, and had a permanently pale complexion and blue lips, as if bloodless, perhaps, now I can say, due to bad blood circulation.

“He always came back the last and alone after any cross country running activity,” he said.

“I remember him clearly boxing in the ring with his best friend James McDonald, a young boy from Inverness.

“At one point the match was stopped and Alex was carried out of the room.

“Next we heard he had died. I can confirm that there was no foul play.

“We were informed some days later that he died from some injury to his heart. I also, along with the whole school, attended his funeral in one of the cemeteries in Falkland village.”

George said he spent his early years, from about three to 10 or 11, at Nazareth House, Lasswade, in the care of nuns.

He was transferred to St Ninian’s at Falkland in around 1959, and stayed there approximately three years because his mixed race parents (Belizian father and Scottish mother) were unable to set up home together due to “racist landlords”. He was later reunited with his parents and siblings in Edinburgh.

George said he has read about abuse allegations at St Ninian’s and other residential homes but was not aware of any problems during his time there.

Picture: Crown Office Communications. Falkland House, which was formerly St Ninian’s School.