The Restoration of Rangers Graves Project .Torry Gillick.

[The Moonlighter 387]

 

A couple of weeks ago we were contacted by fellow supporter John Armour who informed us that former Rangers player Torry Gillick was buried in Old Monkland Cemetery in Coatbridge.

 

I met with John at the cemetery yesterday afternoon.

 

 

All necessary work will be carried out over the coming weeks on Mr Gillick’s plot to bring it back up to a standard befitting the man.

 

We’re also currently in the process of making contact with Mr Gillick’s family.

 

Torrance "Torry" Gillick (19 May 1915 – 16 December 1971)

 

Torry played for Rangers, Everton and Partick Thistle.

 

Born in Airdrie, Gillick was signed in 1933, aged 18, for Rangers by manager Bill Struth, after playing for prominent Glasgow junior club Petershill. He won a Scottish Cup winners medal in 1935, and that summer was sold to Everton for, a then record fee for the club, £8,000. He stayed on Merseyside until the Second World War and during that time won a Football League championship medal in 1939.

 

Torry Gillick was capped five times by Scotland between May 1937 and November 1938.

 

During World War II, Gillick "guested" for home-town Airdrieonians and Rangers. At the end of the war in 1945, Mr Struth brought him back to Ibrox.

 

Torry wrote himself into Ibrox folklore during the legendary friendly against Moscow Dynamo when he got the referee to stop play as he had noticed the Russians were playing with twelve men!

 

He developed into a forward with excellent ball control and vision and became a feature in the famous post-war Rangers side, forming a partnership on the left with Willie Waddell.

 

At Rangers, he played 140 times, scoring 62 goals.

 

He won one League Championship medal (1946/47), two Scottish Cup medals (1934/35, 1947/48) and two League Cup medals (1946/47, 1948/49).

 

Torry left Rangers for Partick Thistle in August 1951. He played one season with the Jags before retiring to oversee his business interest, a Lanarkshire scrap metal firm.

 

He died on 12 December 1971, aged 55, from undisclosed causes, on the same day as Rangers legend Alan Morton.

 

Footnote: We established late last night and confirmed by John Armour that Alan Morton is buried in New Monkland Cemetery in Glenmavis.

 

We’ll locate Mr Morton's plot and update accordingly.

[The Moonlighter 387]

Update.

 

I spoke to Torry Gillick's son at the weekend.

 

He thanked us for highlighting his Dad's plot but said that plans are already in place to have the stone put back on the plinth.

 

I have offered any assistance that we can should it be required.