He was running well and had a series of three wins in the New England Marathon (1931, 1932, 1933), he had beaten two of the Canadian team in their own marathon championship when he finished second, he beat two of the Americans in the US championship in Washington, in Boston he beat the third American and the German first string marathon runner. In 1932 he started to think of the Olympics again.

He then moved to Boston permanently and that was the start of a very good athletics career. In 1930 he really trained hard and was ninth in the American Marathon Championships in new York and immediately hitched to Boston where he was ninth in a race that included American, Finland and Canada. On his return to the States he ran in the Boston Marathon where he finished 29th of 250 starters.

in those days they chose six men for the team but they took some from each race and he didn’t make it. He then went on to London for the AAA’s marathon where he finished sixth. While here he ran in the Polytechnic marathon trying for a place in the British Olympic team and finished ninth. He came back home for a visit in 1927 which lasted 15 months while he received treatment for an injury. On arrival in the States he settled in Philadelphia and joined the Meadowbrook club in whose colours he ran his first marathon in June 1926 winning the award for the first Philadelphian. A contemporary and friend of Dunky Wright he emigrated to the United States looking for work in early 1923. Jock Semple, pictured above winning the Balloch to Clydebank race in 1924, joined Clydesdale Harriers after the first war and proved to be an excellent athlete who always worked on the club committee in a variety of roles such as Junior Captain and as a member of the Finance Committee.

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