1985 in Scotland explained

Events from the year 1985 in Scotland.

Incumbents

• Secretary of State for Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal – George Younger

Law officers

• Lord Advocate – Lord Cameron of Lochbroom
• Solicitor General for Scotland – Peter Fraser

Judiciary

• Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General – Lord Emslie
• Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Wheatley, then Lord Ross
• Chairman of the Scottish Land Court – Lord Elliott

Events

• 1 June – Scottish Bus Group reorganised into new regional companies.
• 6 September – the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre opens in Glasgow.
• 10 September – Scotland national football team manager Jock Stein, 62, collapses and dies from a heart attack at the end of his team's 1–1 draw with Wales at Ninian Park, Cardiff, which secures Scotland's place in the World Cup qualification playoff.^[1]
• 20 November – the Scotland national football team, managed on an interim basis by Aberdeen boss Alex Ferguson, beats Australia 2–0 in the World Cup qualifying play-off first leg at Hampden Park with goals from Davie Cooper (who scored in the game against Wales two months ago) and the debutant Frank McAvennie.^[2]
• Mossmorran NGL (natural gas liquids) fractionation plant at Cowdenbeath opens.

Births

• 16 January – Amy Manson, television actress
• 10 February – Cath Rae, field hockey goalkeeper
• 2 April – Thom Evans, Zimbabwean-Scottish rugby player^[3]
• 7 April – Humza Yousaf, Scottish National Party leader
• 6 June – Drew McIntyre, pro wrestler
• 23 November – Scott Brash, showjumper

Deaths

• 27 January – Robert McLellan, playwright (born 1907)
• 29 January – Chic Murray, comedian (born 1919)
• 7 April – Willie McRae, Scottish National Party politician and lawyer (born 1923)
• 2 July – Hector Nicol, entertainer (born 1920)
• 10 September – Jock Stein, football player and manager (born 1922)
• 7 November – Alexander Thom, aerodynamicist and archaeoastronomer (born 1894)
• 24 December – Erich Schaedler, football player, by suicide (born 1949)

The arts

• 10 May – first performance of Peter Maxwell Davies' orchestral piece An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise.
• 11 August – a memorial to Hugh MacDiarmid is unveiled near his home at Langholm.
• The Scots Language Society publishes a set of consensus guidelines for spelling Modern Scots, Recommendations for Writers in Scots.
• Deacon Blue form in Glasgow.

See also

• 1985 in Northern Ireland

Notes and References

1. Web site: Remembering Jock Stein. BBC News. 2011-12-09.
2. Web site: Wed 20 Nov 1985 Scotland 2 Australia 0. London Hearts Supporters Club. 2016-03-04.
3. Web site: Thom Evans. Scottish Rugby. https://web.archive.org/web/20071219121219/http://www.scottishrugby.org/sru/index.cfm?0C2EA9C5-07C3-7191-B5FC-5DFDEAF0E0EE&playeruuid=87A60BB3-0EE6-F8B8-8562-1B34FE0CCBBF&squad_uuid=78732359-B554-30A5-8C4D-C60E01CE7ED5&org_uuid=F5DF887B-E238-AAEF-622C-9E64FFA6EE5C. 1 February 2021. 19 December 2007.