Union chief Jimmy eaves £73,000 to his wife

UNION leader Jimmy Reid left a £73,000 estate to his wife, it emerged yesterday.

Mr Reid, a stalwart of the 1970s labour movement, and a journalist and broadcaster, died last year at the age of 78 after a short illness.

Thousands lined the streets as his funeral cortege passed the shipyards in Govan, where he led the famous 1971 work-in.

Manchester United manager and follow Govanite Sir Alex Ferguson told almost 1000 mourners who crammed into a service to celebrate his life: "The Govan boy has come home - home to this historic place. This was his theatre - an outstanding man."

Mr Reid's widow, Joan, and daughters Eileen, Shona and Julie were joined at the funeral by friends and family, as well as well-known figures such as former prime minister Gordon Brown, comedian Billy Connolly, and actress Elaine C Smith.

The service followed an intimate ceremony on the Isle of Bute, where Mr Reid lived out his final years.

Last night Mr Reid's published will revealed a man of modest means whose estate was valued at a total of 72,599.14.

Legal documents show he owned a 5000 Ford Focus car and had more than 60,000 in a private bank account.

He also had 5,700 held in a Royal Bank of Scotland account.

His will, which was drawn up in May 2009, shows he left orders for his estate to be given to his wife or shared by their three children should she not survive him.

Mr Reid became a household name when he led the work-in of thousands of shipbuilders on the Clyde during 1971 and 1972, stopping Tory government attempts to close the yards.

A memorable speech he made to students as rector of Glasgow University on "rejecting the rat race" in 1972 appeared in full in the New York Times.