1972 in Scotland
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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2015}}
{{Year in Scotland| 1972 }}
Events from the year 1972 in Scotland.
Incumbents
{{further|Politics of Scotland|Order of precedence in Scotland}}
= Law officers =
- Lord Advocate – Norman Wylie
- Solicitor General for Scotland – David Brand until November; then William Stewart
= Judiciary =
- Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General – Lord Clyde until 25 April; then Lord Emslie
- Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Grant, then Lord Wheatley
- Chairman of the Scottish Land Court – Lord Birsay
Events
- 11 February – Rockall is formally claimed as part of the United Kingdom, attached to Inverness-shire, by the Island of Rockall Act 1972.
- 24 May – Rangers F.C. wins the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup with a 3–2 win over Soviet side FC Dynamo Moscow in Barcelona.
- 26 May – Loch Lomond Bear Park opened near Balloch to display bears.
- 27 June – Highland Wildlife Park opened near Kingussie to display native species.'[https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000578/19720627/068/0006 Wildlife with a difference]', Press and Journal, 27 June 1972, p.6.
- 25 August – Kilbirnie Street fire in Glasgow: 7 firemen killed in a flashover.
- 1 September – Raising of school-leaving age from fifteen to sixteen for pupils leaving school at the end of the academic year, in common with the rest of the UK.Legislation dated 20 January.
- 5 October – last ship launched at the former John Brown & Company Clydebank yard, Clyde-class bulk grain carrier MV Alisa.{{cite web|title=MV Alisa|url=http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/seventies/ALISA_120.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421081828/http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/seventies/ALISA_120.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2014-04-21|work=Clydebuilt|access-date=2014-04-20}}
- 8 December – Wendy Wood begins a hunger strike for home rule.'[https://news.google.co.uk/newspapers?id=GfVAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uKcMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6428%2C6015747 Patriots' leader Wendy starts protest "fast to death"]', Evening Times, 8 December 1972, p.18.
- December – Gartnavel General Hospital opens in Glasgow.
- Anderston Centre opens in Glasgow.
- The West Highland Free Press newspaper is founded at Broadford, Skye.
- Hamilton Academy closes (founded 1588)
Births
- 23 January – Ewen Bremner, actor
- 20 February – Neil Primrose, musician
- 25 March – Phil O'Donnell, footballer (died 2007){{cite web|last1=Murray|first1=Ewan|title=Obituary: Phil O'Donnell|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/jan/01/newsstory.sportobituaries|website=The Guardian|access-date=12 January 2018|date=1 January 2008}}
- 8 April – Lisa Cameron, Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow, 2015- , and clinical psychologist
- 9 April – Neve McIntosh, actress
- 10 April – Gordon Buchanan, wildlife film-maker
- 1 May – Patrick Grant, men's fashion designer
- 15 May – Danny Alexander, Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey, 2005–15
- 2 August – Carol Monaghan, Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for Glasgow North West, 2015-
- 16 August – Frankie Boyle, comedian{{cite news |title=Frankie Boyle |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/6ff967a5-b4fa-4b76-9fcc-31a7ab938e8b |access-date=7 November 2019 |publisher=BBC}}
- 17 August – David Ralph, field hockey forward
- 14 September – Jenny Colgan, novelist
- 2 October – John Anderson, footballer
- 20 October – Debbie McLeod, field hockey goalkeeper
- 29 November – Willie Bain, Scottish Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament for Glasgow North East, 2009-
Deaths
- 15 March – Jimmy Simpson, international footballer (born 1908)
- 28 March – Duncan Campbell, revivalist (born 1898)
- 4 June – David Ross Lauder, recipient of the Victoria Cross (born 1894)
- 19 November – William Grant, Lord Grant, serving Lord Justice Clerk and former Lord Advocate (born 1909){{cite news
| url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ruw9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=l0gMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2193%2C3639933
| title = Lord Grant killed in car accident
| newspaper = Glasgow Herald
| date = 20 November 1972
| first = George
| last = Watt
| page = 1
| via = Google News
| access-date = 12 January 2016
}}
- 30 November – Compton Mackenzie, novelist and Scottish nationalist (born 1883 in West Hartlepool)
- 27 December – John Kerr, cricketer (born 1885)
- Jimmy MacBeath, folk singer (born 1894)
The arts
- George Mackay Brown's novel Greenvoe is published.
- Bill Bryden's play Willie Rough is staged by the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh.
- The Average White Band is formed in Dundee.
- The pipe band of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards release their instrumental recording of "Amazing Grace" which reaches No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in April.