John Semple

n John Semple, travel agent. Born: 3 May, 1930, in Glasgow. Died: 13 August, 2011, in Milton of Campsie, aged 81.

John Semple was the Scottish travel agent responsible for carrying Celtic onwards to glory in Lisbon for their historic European Cup victory.

He was the man tasked with making all the arrangements to get the team and thousands of fans to Portugal for the 1967 clash with Internazionale Milano and it remained one of his proudest moments in a career spanning more than 50 years.

A Maryhill boy, he was educated at the local St Mary’s Primary and St Mungo’s Academy before serving his two years’ national service in Aldershot.

He began his career in the travel industry in Glasgow in the 1950s with British European Airways.

It was his first job and he started on the sales side, staying with the corporation until 1964 when he moved to the Glasgow-based chain JH Lewis Travel Agency, climbing up the ladder from consultant to director.

It was while working there that the lifelong Celtic fan and season ticket holder got the opportunity to organise the team’s Lisbon outing, arranging all the charter flights and hotels for players and their travelling army of supporters.

He worked alongside Celtic for many years, always accompanying the club when they played abroad.

He fairly recently donated an original 1967 Champions League ticket to the team when he discovered they didn’t have one and it is now on display in the boardroom at Celtic Park.

It was also while working at JH Lewis that he was asked to be the official agent for trips to Rome for the canonisation of John Ogilvie in 1976. When there was a difference of opinion about the merits of such a venture he decided to join forces with Ambassador Travel.

Having been made a director of JH Lewis in the late 1970s, in 1983 he opted to strike out on his own, opening his first venture, John Semple Travel in Dumbarton. It was originally a JH Lewis office which was due to close but he chose to take a gamble and go it alone. He built the company up into one of Scotland’s leading independent travel agents and was proud to open his next branch of Semple Travel in Bishopbriggs, where he had lived for many years. Although the Dumbarton shop has now closed, Bishopbriggs remains in business and employs more than 30 staff.

He married Catherine, on 4 April, 1961, and the couple, whose four children all work in the family business, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary this year.

Although he had travelled widely through his work, including to Association of British Travel Agents conferences in America and Acapulco, his favourite holiday destinations were much closer to home. When his children were growing up it was Ireland. Later he favoured Majorca and had links with many Spanish hoteliers.

Away from work he had been a keen sportsman. A member of Victoria Park Harriers in his youth, he won numerous medals for the 100 and 200 yards sprint, took part in the annual Skol New Year sprint for professional runners at Meadowbank and was later well known in the Scottish Veteran Harriers.

He was also a great cyclist and treasured his Flying Scot, his favourite route being to Loch Katrine. For a man who played rugby – he joined the St Mungo’s FPs – he was also graceful on his feet on the dancefloor, winning a gold medal in ballroom dancing.

A keen golfer, he was a member of Cawder Golf Club near Bishopbriggs for more than 30 years as well as a long-standing member at Bishopbriggs Golf Club.

Although he officially retired in 1995, he continued to take an active interest in the business until the end and was always delighted to hear that the venture he established was flourishing.

He is survived by his wife, their children John, Paul, Angela and Marie, seven grandchildren and his brother James.

ALISON SHAW