Scotland’s oldest man, who recalled listening to the radio on a cat’s whisker radio device, celebrated his 107th birthday on Sunday.
Alf Smith, of the Carse of Gowrie, was born in 1908 in Invergowrie and is now the oldest living person in Scotland after 109-year-old Jessie Gallan passed away last week.
Educated at Invergowrie Primary School and Harris Academy, Dundee, he went on to drive cattle lorries for one of his brothers, George, after returning from Canada, where all six siblings had emigrated to work on a farm in Saskatchewan.
During the Second World War Mr Smith was in the Home Guard, and married Isobel when aged 29.
The couple went on to a farm in Kinfauns, and have two children Irene and Alan.
He ran the farm until he was in his eighties when his family moved to Linton Terrace, Perth.
His wife died aged 97, when the couple had moved to the Carse of Gowrie.
Mr Smith recalled: “When I drove the cattle trucks diesel cost sixpence per gallon and then I managed to come home for my lunch in Perth every day when we ran the farm in Kinfauns
“You couldn’t do that now, but the traffic was so much different back then. I have seen so many changes and can remember listening to the radio through the cat’s whisker device.”
Daughter Irene said: “He beats me sometimes at Scrabble and loves 500-piece jigsaws that I get in charity shops.”
Mr Smith has two grandsons, Neil Smith, 44, and his brother Iain, 42.