Kyle was the grandfather of footballer Ray Allan. As a territorial, after the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Kyle was called into the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry. He went to France as part of the BEF in January 1940 and was later evacuated from Dunkirk. Kyle rose to the rank of sergeant major and after the war he became an amateur entertainer in Fife. He was named Cowdenbeath's "Citizen of the Year" in 1983.