The partner of 45-year-old Allan Basil of Aberdeen has paid tribute to her outdoor-loving “soulmate” who died after catching flu.
The Wood Group employee was a patient of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary when the hospital went into “flu lockdown” in December.
He died unexpectedly on Christmas Day.
“It’s still so hard to believe,” Bryony Revell, his partner of three-and-a-half years, said.
‘True sportsman’ Allan always loved the great outdoors
Son of Liz and Martin Basil, Allan Basil was born on September 24 1979, eventually becoming big brother to Mark.
His early years were spent in Lumphanan, before the family, who run an oil and gas consultancy business, moved to the Aigas Estate near Beauly, then Tain.
When they returned to Aberdeen Allan attended Forehill Primary School in Bridge of Don, before moving on to Old Machar Academy.
A “true sportsman” Allan excelled in almost every physical pursuit.
“He was just so athletic. Allan’s whole family is very outdoorsy and he was no different. He loved to ski, hike and swim. He mountain-biked and climbed, and in the 90s he was a key figure in the British snowboarding scene,” said Bryony.
Oil and gas expertise saw Allan flourish in business
Allan began his working life as a systems administrator with Accenture before going into business with his dad, working as a measurement engineer first with FLOW then Solv.
In 2010 Allan made the switch to Emerson as lead measurement auditor before joining the Wood Group five years ago.
© Supplied by familyThere he was instrumental in setting up the firm’s measurement and allocation team. Tributes added to a LinkedIn post mention Allan’s significant influence within the oil and gas sector.
One comment said: “Allan was a remarkable individual and a shining light. He was my first hire on the Measurement Metering and Allocation team at Wood and played a significant role in selecting nearly everyone who joined the team after him. This is such a sorrowful moment.”
An old friendship led to love
In 2011 Allan married, living in Perthshire then upper Deeside. Though the relationship broke down, they had two daughters together, and Allan remained a proud and loving father who relished time with his two girls.
During the pandemic, he moved back to Aberdeen.
Keen to get back into the outdoors, friends suggested Allan get back in touch with Bryony Revell. Old friends from their teenage years the pair started chatting online.
By the end of 2020 they had rekindled their friendship, and as restrictions eased they started meeting in-person.
“When restaurants were open again he asked me if I wanted to go for food.
“We used to laugh, looking back, because we were both adamant it wasn’t a date. Allan just said he wanted to meet me face-to-face to see if I was the person he remembered.”
In summer 2021 when Bryony planned to hike the four Munros known as the Ring of Steall Allan suggested he drive her there, and that she could stay in his parents’ home in Corpach, near Fort William.
“He was so attentive that weekend. When I emerged after a 10-hour hike he was waiting for me. His mum said she knew right away that this was something special.
“It was after that we stopped pretending we were only going to be friends.”
‘Exploring together was our favourite thing,’ said Bryony
On their way home from that trip Allan took great pride in showing off the best of Scotland to Bryony.
“We both loved finding quirky places and going off the beaten track. It would become one of our favourite things to do,” she said. “We were best friends and soulmates.”
Later that year Allan and Bryony moved in together, after Bryony, who has a background in social work, uncharacteristically introduced Allan to her parents early into their relationship.
“It just so happened that they were visiting. It all moved very quickly.”
The mountains were where Allan’s heart was
The pair shared a home in Aberdeen’s Union Grove and together relished evenings and weekends planning “magical mystery tours” around Scotland.
“Sometimes we would leave first thing and wouldn’t return until really late, stopping off at dozens of places en route. We could both plan a trip with military precision and a packed itinerary. We just loved being together,” Bryony added.
The couple regularly visited Sutherland, took trips to Oban, Iona, Mull and Skye, journeyed round the North Coast 500, and managed to get all the way to Orkney.
“But nowhere could compare to Lochnagar for Allan. That was his favourite mountain of all time.”
Even when Allan needed a hip replacement, which impacted on his mobility, they still enjoyed time away in the East Neuk of Fife visiting fishing villages and going sea glass hunting. Allan also used this period of recovery to spend time with his parents.
In hospital, Allan’s ward was locked down
Closer to home one of Allan’s regular stop-offs was the Roots food van on Aberdeen Esplanade for a burger after sea glass hunting in Donmouth. Visiting stone circles, spending time with his kids and going to modern Scottish folk music gigs were also favourite pastimes.
“We were just really enjoying our lives together, although Basil – that’s what I called him – was dealing with some underlying health conditions. This led to him being admitted to hospital towards the end of 2024.”
Allan was preparing to be discharged from hospital when Aberdeen Royal Infirmary was plunged into lockdown due to an increasing number of flu cases.
‘He caught flu but still managed to order me a Christmas card’
“We were making plans for a trip to Lochinver in January and he was looking forward to coming home. Then his ward was suddenly locked down.
“The week before Christmas we were told he couldn’t have any visitors.
“Allan started feeling unwell too. He’d caught flu.”
Bryony, who’d had flu already, asked if she could “mask up” to visit her partner.
“He told me he was feeling very, very unwell. I was lucky they let me in for a few moments and I was able to give him a cuddle.
“I took in his Christmas present and he’d ordered a card ‘to the one I love’ to be delivered to the hospital, for me.”
‘On Christmas morning we lost him’
By Christmas Eve Allan expressed his own concerns to staff about his worsening condition.
“And by 5.40 on Christmas morning I got a call to say he had gone,” said Bryony.
“It’s beyond devastating. I couldn’t believe it. I’m not sure I believe it yet.”
Due to Allan’s underlying health condition, his family believe he was “too weak to fight it [flu] off.”
“It seems so unfair. He just loved life and was so full of energy. When Allan would work offshore – which he also loved… he’d be the only one to never get Covid, or to come home without whatever was doing the rounds. He was so robust.
“I can’t believe we went from a scratchy throat, to flu, to losing him.”
‘We’re all just bereft… there was nobody like Allan’
Allan’s funeral service took place on January 10 at Baldarroch Crematorium, followed by a celebration of his life in Aberdeen’s Malmaison Hotel.
Friends and family traded memories of the mountain-loving dad-of-two, whose ashes will be scattered in some of his favourite places.
A JustGiving page was also set up to make donations in Allan’s memory to Braemar Mountain Rescue.
“It’s not too much to say Allan’s family, all of us… we are just bereft without him,” Bryony added.
“For me, I have lost the very best person in my life. We had so much in common. He was an old romantic. Kind. Funny. Thoughtful. And generous to all. He was adventurous and was fascinated by science and technology. And more than anything, he never thought he was going to die… he believed he had so much more life to live.
“Heartbroken is an understatement. Nothing is the same without him.”
Allan leaves behind his daughters, partner Bryony, his parents and brother.
You can read the family’s announcement here.
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