LEITH businessman Jocky Allan who sold bicycles for more than 60 years has died.
Jocky Allan, described as a "rock in the community" has passed away after a long illness.
The 89-year-old was well-known in Leith for over 60 years for his successful bicycle shop Jocky Allan Cycles, and will be fondly remembered by generations of
Edinburgh people who either bought their bike from, or had it repaired by, the charismatic figure.
Tributes have been led by fellow Leither Sir Tom Farmer who recalled visiting Jocky regularly in his first shop on Jane Street, and in his second on Leith Walk.
"For me, Jocky was an unforgettable character and I mean that sincerely," he said.
He described a man who was "perpetually smeared with oil" on his hands and face; a man who was "never too busy" to speak to customers, old and young, who dropped by with cycle complaints.
He said: "I was a customer in my teens living close by and had nothing but admiration and a certain fascination for the man, as did my brothers. "His shop, always cramped for space, was a Mecca for countless boys and girls. Jocky, for all these years was a loved and respected part of the Leith scene – a rock in the community."
Jocky's shops were best known for offering a specialist repair service, with no make or model of bike out of the man's technical capabilities. But also proudly on show were brand new bikes for sale, envied by those Leith youngsters who passed by Jocky's window.
He began in the cycle trade as a schoolboy when, in 1934, he started at AB Loudon's, eventually taking over when the owner, his boss, died in 1948. Leither Willie Merrilees, Lothians Police Chief Constable, officially opened the shop.
During the war, Jocky is understood to have seen action both with the Paras and the Royal Scots. He was wounded in a raid on the Nazi-held Channel Island Sark and then captured in Sicily, in 1943, leaving him to spend the rest of the war in a prison camp. He returned to Leith and aside from running his own business, he excelled as a racing cyclist, as well as coaching for the Tour de France and the Commonwealth Games.
Many mourners are expected to pay tribute to Jocky at his funeral on Thursday at Warriston Crematorium. Also in attendance will be his family – his wife Gay and daughters Gwen, Corinne and Michelle.
