John Campbell, 1933-2024: Falkirk Herald football writer and champion rose grower

John Campbell was a true Falkirk Bairn and also loved the town’s football team with his family saying that he was talking about them right up till the day he died.

But he also took a keen interest in the game at other levels, writing the Soccer Scene column for the paper where he first worked.

John was born on May 31, 1933 in Falkirk’s Wallace Street, the firstborn son of parents Hugh and Nettie Campbell. He was brought up in the family home he shared with his younger brother Alex and dad Hugh’s brother Francie – who came for a night and never left.

Growing up John had been a member of 1st Falkirk Boys’ Brigade where he enjoyed his time.

He attended Victoria Primary School and Falkirk Technical College before starting as an apprentice linotype operator, aged 15, with the company that printed the Falkirk Herald. He later moved to one of the company’s other papers, the Kirkintilloch Herald, where he became general manager, notching up over 40 years with the company before retiring.

His early working life was interrupted by National Service with John serving in the RAF, based in England and also in Germany.

By this time he had already met the woman who was to become his wife, Cecilia, and every day they would write letters to each other.

After a seven year courtship they were married in St Modan’s Church, Falkirk on June 7, 1957, where John would later be an elder.

The couple had four children – Raymond, Sinclair, Fiona and Pamela – who were all brought up in the family home in Johnston Avenue, Stenhousemuir.

Favourite memories for his children were Saturday night’s when John would collect his mum, Granny Campbell, their Aunt Bella and Aunt Kirk, and bring them to their home where they would watch TV and play bingo.

John’s love of football saw him scout for Dumbarton, St Johnstone and Airdrieonians.

His Soccer Scene column featured weekly in the inside back page of the Falkirk Herald where he mainly wrote about Camelon Juniors matches and juvenile football which was the then Central Boys Football Association.

There was no email in these days and his family recalled he would be on the typewriter until the small hours of the morning then drive up to the Falkirk Herald and put his notes through a letterbox so he could meet a deadline. He loved this time of his life, but his family hardly saw him.

However, the other love of his life after his family and football, was roses.

He had 800 rose bushes in the garden at Johnston Avenue and would exhibit the roses at shows all over Scotland. Each rose bud he wanted to exhibit was covered with a polythene cover. He would check the weather and if it was going to be sunny he would phone home and his wife would have to go into the garden and take the covers off, while if it was going to rain and they were uncovered, Cecilia would have to go out and cover them.

He was Scottish Champion on numerous occasions but his best triumph was developing his own rose and when this particular rose bloomed for the first time, owing to it’s beauty, John knew there was only one for it – Cecilia Campbell.

His rose went on to be awarded the International Rose of the Year, a perfect legacy for his much-loved late wife.

Along with his four children, John is survived by grandchildren Dawn, Gayle, Sinclair, Grant, Alexander, Ross and Andrew, and great-grandchildren Lily, Ivy, Arran and Natalie.

John died on November 3 in Forth Valley Royal Hospital with his funeral taking place at Falkirk Crematorium on November 14.