Obituary: Gordon Alston
25 Sep 2025Scottish Rugby is saddened to learn of the death last week of a former colleague and lifetime servant of the game, Gordon Alston. He was 85.
Gordon joined Scottish Rugby as an administrative assistant in 1990 and initially worked across a number of areas including heritage, publications, player kit distribution and the shop at Murrayfield Stadium.
When the game turned professional in 1995, Gordon’s responsibilities extended to player welfare, providing support and guidance to the first cohort of full-time professional players. It was a role he undertook with a smile, allied to compassion and empathy.
Gordon was hugely proud to work for Scottish Rugby. He turned his hand to whatever he was asked to do, be it sponsor liaison, press deck accreditation or distributing bibs for ball boys and photographers.
He was a familiar figure at Peebles RFC and also had many friends at Penicuik RFC.
Gordon was born in 1940, brought up in Peebles then moved to Edinburgh after joining the City of Edinburgh Police in 1959.
Most of his career was in Lothian & Borders Police, primarily within the CID. He served on the Lockerbie investigation as a Detective Chief Inspector in the aftermath of the explosion which downed Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988, eventually leaving the force in1989.
He described his post at Scottish Rugby as his dream job.
On his retirement, he moved to Mallorca with his wife Dorothy, before returning to Peebles in 2001.
Following Dorothy’s death in 2018, Gordon spent his remaining years gardening, golfing, watching rugby and meeting his childhood pals twice a week for coffee.
Scottish Rugby extends its sincere condolences to Gordon’s daughters, Katie and Julie, grandchildren Jamie and Molly, and all his many friends.
His funeral will be held at 11am on Friday 10 October at Mortonhall Crematorium, 30B Howden Hall Rd, Edinburgh EH16 6TX.
