30 Facts About Jimmy Speirs

James Hamilton Speirs MM was a Scottish footballer who represented his country on one occasion, scored the winning goal in the 1911 FA Cup Final, and received the Military Medal during the First World War.

Jimmy Speirs started his adult football career with local junior team Maryhill, where he played for less than a season, before he moved to Rangers in 1905.

Jimmy Speirs spent three years with the club, but won only the Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup, before he joined a third Glasgow side Clyde.

Jimmy Speirs's greatest success came in his second season with Bradford, when he was the club's captain and goalscorer in their FA Cup Final victory of 1911, in a team featuring eight Scottish-born players.

Jimmy Speirs spent another two seasons with Bradford City, before he joined Leeds City, but after two seasons, the First World War broke out.

League football continued for one more season, at the end of which Jimmy Speirs returned to Glasgow.

Jimmy Speirs was promoted to lance corporal, corporal and sergeant, and won the Military Medal for bravery in the field, but was killed during the Battle of Passchendaele in August 1917, at the age of 31.

An inside forward, Jimmy Speirs moved to Maryhill in the Glasgow Junior League in 1905.

Maryhill won the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup and the league title although it is unknown if Jimmy Speirs played in the cup final or picked up a league winners medal.

Rangers' only trophy that season was the successful defence of the Merchants' Charity Cup, but Jimmy Speirs did not play.

Jimmy Speirs left his native Scotland during the summer of 1909, to head for Yorkshire and sign for Bradford City, under the management of his countryman Peter O'Rourke.

Jimmy Speirs assembled a team which contained several Scottish players, and brought in England international outside right Dicky Bond.

Jimmy Speirs was captain of the side and in the days up to the final he wrote to his opposite number, Colin Veitch.

The contents of his letter are not known, but in his reply, Veitch said Jimmy Speirs had "expressed in sound terms the true spirit of comradeship, and the proper sentiments one would expect to see associated with the sportsman, and the sport".

Jimmy Speirs led out a team which contained eight Scots for the final at the Crystal Palace on 22 April 1911 against Newcastle United.

Speirs himself headed the ball at goal, and Newcastle's goalkeeper Jimmy Lawrence was distracted by City striker Frank O'Rourke and the ball rolled into the net.

Jimmy Speirs lifted the newly-cast trophy, which had been made by Bradford jewellers Fattorinis, and displayed it on the club's victory parade later that evening in Bradford.

Jimmy Speirs scored the only goal of the West Riding Cup final against Hull City on 11 November 1914 to give what was Leeds City's only ever trophy before the club was expelled from the league in 1919 and subsequently dissolved.

Conscription was a year away, from which Jimmy Speirs would have been exempt because he was married with two young children.

Jimmy Speirs was appointed to the position of Lance Corporal while on training and after the British troops suffered heavy casualties, Speirs was posted overseas on 29 May 1916.

Jimmy Speirs was shot in the thigh during an advance and crawled into a shellhole.

Jimmy Speirs was attended to, but was abandoned by his regiment and was not seen again.

Jimmy Speirs is buried at Dochy Farm New British Cemetery, near Ypres in Belgium.

Jimmy Speirs married Elizabeth Lennox Maben on 24 October 1906 in Glasgow.

Jimmy Speirs, who had still been recorded as a clerk at the time of the wedding, was now listed as a spirit dealer's stocktaker.

Jimmy Speirs was initiated into Lodge Saint Vincent Sandyford No 553, based in Glasgow, on 11 March 1908, just four days after he had made his only Scottish appearance.

When his football career took him away from Glasgow, Jimmy Speirs maintained links with the lodge.

Jimmy Speirs became a Master Mason, then a life member on 12 February 1913.

Jimmy Speirs's son remained in Scotland but later emigrated to Canada.

Jimmy Speirs' medals formed part of an exhibition to celebrate Bradford City's centenary in 2003 at Bradford Industrial Museum and have been on show at Imperial War Museum North, in Greater Manchester, as part of an exhibition linking sport and war.