It was said of Jake that he was ‘a good person to know and have on your side’ and he made a formidable partnership alongside his friend, David Marshall, in the team’s ‘boiler house’. Indeed, both players went on to represent Edinburgh on many occasions, in the days when the Edinburgh side had at least 5 or 6 Accies in it. David Marshall was perhaps one of the unluckiest players never to get a cap for Scotland, having played in several national trials. Jake went on to captain the Club with distinction in season 1962-63, passing the baton on to the great Brian Neill, who then passed it on to Jake’s younger brother, Ian, who captained the side in seasons 1964-65 and 1967-68 – quite a family affair!

ake was a remarkable character with a terrific sense of humor who had a great love of trains. Indeed, legend has it that on one occasion, returning from Fife after playing North & Midlands, he climbed outside the train to get a better view over the Firth of Forth from the rail bridge. No one had told him that he was on the same side as the trains coming in the opposite direction, but thankfully, he survived to tell the tale!

NOTE: This obituary was originally posted our old website on 26th January 2021, but was migrated to this website as part of go-live in May 2021.