Lord Wallace remembered at funeral for 'integrity, sincerity and humility'

Lord Wallace, former deputy first minister of Scotland, has been remembered at his funeral in Orkney as a man of "integrity, sincerity and humility".

The former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, who was Scotland's first deputy first minister, died last month at the age 71.

He had undergone a procedure at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh but suffered complications afterwards.

Among those attending his funeral at St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall were First Minister John Swinney and the UK and Scottish Lib Dem leaders Ed Davey and Alex Cole-Hamilton.

Both Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur and fellow Lib Dem MP Alasdair Carmichael gave eulogies.

Following his death, Alex Cole Hamilton described Wallace as "one of the architects of modern Scotland" and "one of the finest liberals our party has ever produced".

During an emotional eulogy, Orkney MSP McArthur said Lord Wallace gave him his first job as a researcher in 1990 after he left university, conducting the job interview in a Edinburgh Waverley railway station pub packed with Scotland football fans.

"In the 36 years that followed, Jim became my close friend and my mentor," he said.

"He was an architect of devolution, playing a leading role in the constitutional convention and shaping very deliberately the creation of the Scottish Parliament, that would force politicians to work across the political divides.

"Jim was also a stabilising force in those early years in a coalition government that had seen three first ministers in as many years, but also in a new parliament that came in for plenty of criticism as it was finding its feet."

He added: " At a time when calm, reasonable and experienced heads were much needed, Jim seemed to be straight out of central casting."

McArthur said that whether someone had known Jim Wallace for many years, fleetingly, or just observed him at a distance, the impression he left was the same - "a man of integrity, sincerity and humility".

"What you saw was what you got. There was no side to Jim," he said.

He added that while Lord Wallace was from Annan he was unashamedly a "born-again islander" and put his "heart and soul" into representing the interests of islanders.

"To constituents, he was just Jim - hard working, but also approachable, empathetic and good fun," he added.

With his voice breaking, he said: "He really was the best of men.

"As those Tartan Army fans in the Waverley Station bar sang that afternoon back in 1990 'when will we see your like again?' When indeed?"

In his address, Orkney MP Carmichael said: "Jim Wallace was a great man, but he was never a grand one - always approachable, always thoughtful, always kind, never afraid to send himself up.

"For those who needed his help they could find no better interlocutor. Everyone knew someone that had been helped by Jim Wallace."

He added; "We shall miss him but we shall never forget him."

Lord Wallace's brother Neil also addressed mourners in the cathedral.

He said his brother was "an example because of his work ethic, his moral compass and the way he embraced challenges head-on".

He said that despite Lord Wallace's "towering intellect" he "never quite believed he was good enough".

"Jim walked with kings, and never lost his love for or his empathy with people," he said.

The service was conducted by the Rev Dr Marjory MacLean.

She said: "Jim's appointment as Moderator was the most visible year of a life of church involvement as a member, elder, commissioner to the General Assembly long before he chaired it, member of various church choirs, including at the time of his death simultaneous membership of choirs in two cathedrals - here and in Dunblane."

Jim Wallace was born in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, and went to Annan Academy before attending Cambridge and Edinburgh universities.

He became MP for Orkney and Shetland in 1983, and joined the Scottish Parliament in 1999 as MSP for Orkney.

As deputy first minister, he covered Scotland's top job on several occasions, including stepping in following the death of First Minister Donald Dewar and the resignation of Henry McLeish.

He stepped down as an MSP in 2007 and was appointed to the House of Lords.

He sat on Sir Kenneth Calman's commission on devolution, which recommended extending Holyrood's powers.

A popular Lib Dem figure, he campaigned with his successor Alex Cole-Hamilton as recently as 2024.

After his legal training he became a barrister in 1979, practising mainly in civil law cases, and became a QC in 1997.

Wallace was brought up in the Church of Scotland - in which his accountant father was an elder - and religion and politics were inter-related interests and influences throughout his life.

In 2021, he took on the role of moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

His wife Rosie said Lord Wallace had sung in the Dunblane Cathedral choir over the Christmas period and had been looking forward to spending more time with his grandchildren.

She said it brought "some comfort" that he had been "surrounded by those he loved most when he died".

She said the whole family had been together in Scotland over Christmas when Clare, one of the couple's two daughters, and her family, had flown in from New Zealand.