Hugh Kilpatrick 1933-2020

A substantial contingent of HCACC members were in attendance at Mortonhall Crematorium today (31.1.20) as we said goodbye to one of the club’s founder members and most significant figures- Hugh Kilpatrick.

Hugh’s son Tony gave a superb eulogy describing how it was only as he became older that he became fully aware of his Dad's true qualities and abilities. He talked of Hugh’s enthusiastic clarinet playing which tended to keep the whole household up at night-all part of his deep love and knowledge of jazz (the service ended with a lovely bit of Sidney Bechet). This dedication and desire for knowledge was something he took into his work and hobbies. After spells as a civil engineer in Guyana and Sierra Leone he spent many years as a systems engineer for IBM- in Edinburgh and London. According to IBM colleague Roger Thomas 'Hugh was "famous" for arriving at the IBM Edinburgh office and spending some 15 minutes in the library completing the Times crossword over a cup of coffee to set himself up for a good day's work'. His addiction to crossword puzzles would continue till his last months.

He was of course dedicated to Holy Cross and to East League cricket (serving as president of the ESCA). After a very successful playing career (including a period as first team captain) he continued to be involved with the club- right up till his final months. For many seasons he was a regular attendee at Arbo-often in the company of Alan Reid, supporting the team from the boundary edge. Hugh built up a superb archive of club material and his computer records include every first team match since the club’s foundation (the 1st match was an away match at Colinton Mains in 1950)- a truly remarkable resource for the club, which hopefully can be transferred and updated.

Above all he was proud of his children and wider family - for his son his finest achievement was caring for his wife Sheila as she suffered from dementia. He’ll clearly be much missed by his family, HX club members and all those who knew him.