By 1878, the Academy was in a strong position with our first fifty years behind us. On 16 February. however, we were struck by one of the most tragic and unresolved events in our history.
In the early hours of that morning George Paul Chalmers, the first of a number of our elected members to hail from Montrose, was found unconscious and suffering from a serious head injury at the foot of steps down to a basement 15 South Charlotte Street.
Member's of the Academy were convinced that foul play was at hand, even offering a substantial reward for information leading to the apprehension of those responsible. Chalmers had a renowned fiery temper. On the night of his death, he had been out drinking with several fellow Academicians, but he left the festivities following an unspecified altercation.
His head injuries following the incident lead to four days in hospital, and subsequently, his death. His funeral, at the Dean Cemetery, was held on 23 February, attended by a huge crowd of mourners. He was aged just 45.
No foul play was ever proven. Recently, public interest in the case has been reignited following a recent publication that suggests that his death was pre-meditated murder by a prominent Edinburgh photographer. The official verdict given was that his death was the result of an accidental fall, possibly whilst under the influence of drink, by which he suffered fatal head injuries.
His death inspired his mother to endow an annual award in his memory, one of two associated with Chalmers. The Chalmers Bursary and the Maclaine-Watters Medal are all still awarded by the Academy amongst the raft of prizes offered in the New Contemporaries exhibition.
