Brian was educated at Charterhouse and spent a year in Germany before joining the family firm (D. C. Thomson & Co.) in 1937.
The Sunday Post, launched in 1914, introduced a "Fun" section in 1936 which became home to iconic cartoon characters such as Oor Wullie and the Broons.
His publications upheld traditional Scottish family values and tastes, typified by the homely tone of the Sunday Post and by magazine titles such as Classic Stitches.
Posted to Montgomery's Eighth Army in early 1943 and served in armoured cars in North Africa and in the intense battles fighting up the spine of Italy.
He loved his garden and woodlands, enjoyed shooting, and was a fine golfer at Royal and Ancient at St Andrews, where he reached the final of the Jubilee Vase in 1953; he continued to play regularly until he was well into his eighties.