Dundee war veterans have enjoyed a special collective birthday party as they held a group celebration at turning 90.
And, though some of the group who gathered at the Targe Bar at the city’s Oliver Barracks were already well into their 90s and some weren’t quite there yet they still had a ball.
Bruce Kelly, secretary of the Dundee Combined Ex-Servicemen’s Association, said they were marking the fact that a number of their members had reached their 10th decade alongside the coming anniversary of the victory over Japan, which ended the second world war.
He said, “We’re marking the 65th anniversary of victory in Europe and victory over Japan, but we at the Combined Ex-Servicemen’s Club also felt that the years were pushing on and a lot of our members were reaching a certain age.
“We’re also holding a church service aboard the Frigate Unicorn on Sunday, where we will thank those who are serving our country now or have served in other theatres of war.”
Among the party-goers was former glider pilot David Robertson (93), from the Glens area of Dundee.
He had been preparing to fly some 800 miles behind Japanese lines from his base in the Indian city of Hyderabad when he heard the news that the war had all but ended.
Mr Robertson said, “Somebody came into the camp and said ‘The war’s over!’ we thought he was kidding, but they said again and told us that the Americans had dropped the bombs.”
Jock Sturrock (88), who earned the Burma Star after serving in the Merchant Navy in the Far East, recalled hearing about the Japanese surrender in the BI Engineers Club in Calcutta, while 90-year-old James Marshall, a former company sergeant major with the Scots Guards, told of the happiness which came with the last days of the war.
Pictured Mr Letford with (standing) James Marshall (Scots Guards), Bruce Kelly (Scots Guards), Sid Paris (Royal Engineers), Nick Harness (Royal Engineers), Vic Herd (Paratroopers and president of the Combined Services Association), Stewart Smith (Lifeguards), James Christie (Scots Guards) and Willie Brown (Black Watch) with (seated) Ben Dailly (Seaforth and Gordon Highlanders).