First Minister John Swinney will be attending a memorial in Leith today to commemorate the bravery of his uncle in the Second World Wat
I will never forget the day I was rummaging around in a wardrobe in my granny’s house and found a frame that contained four medals pinned on a cushion.
An intrigued seven-year-old, I wandered through to see my granny and ask her what this was. She sat me down and explained that these medals had been awarded to my late uncle, Corporal Thomas Peck Hunter, who was killed on April 3, 1945 at Lake Comacchio in Northern Italy, in the late stages of World War Two.
When I looked up from the medals to my granny, her face bore the agony of losing her beloved son, even though at that point a quarter of a century had passed since his death.
Corporal Thomas Hunter KCCorporal Thomas Hunter KC
Corporal Thomas Hunter KC | TSPL
My late uncle was 21 when he led a troop of Royal Marines to liberate a stretch of land near a canal at Comacchio.
In a letter to my granny sent on April 24, 1945, my uncle’s commanding officer Captain Bob Loudon wrote: “His actions just before he was killed undoubtedly saved the troop from suffering a large number of casualties.
“He exposed himself in the face of heavy enemy fire and engaged some enemy machine gun posts at close range with his own Bren gun. This action drew the enemy’s fire onto him and enabled the remainder of the troop, which had been caught in the open, to take cover.”
His death brought heartbreak to my granny, my mother and their family.
My mother remembered being called home from her work at the age of 14 to an atmosphere of unbearable and inconsolable grief in the house.
First Minister John SwinneyFirst Minister John Swinney
First Minister John Swinney | Jane Barlow/Press Association
She felt the loss of a loving brother who looked out for her, sent her greetings for her birthday from the war and inspired her in so many ways.
Weeks later, a telegram arrived intimating that the King had approved the posthumous award of the Victoria Cross to my late uncle - the highest award for gallantry that is available in the British military.
The award of this prestigious medal for gallantry brought for my granny a significant amount of public attention, a meeting with King George VI, and many ceremonies to mark the sacrifice of one of Scotland’s sons – her son – for the freedom we enjoy today.
As I take forward my life in the public spotlight, I realise how tough that must have been for my granny; a very private woman thrust into the public spotlight because of the tragic loss of her son.
I cannot think of my granny without thinking of the pain she endured through that loss.
And today, I cannot think of the risks that are taken by our armed forces, without contemplating the worries for them and their loved ones, just like those faced by my granny.
That is what I will be reflecting on today, as I attend a commemoration in Edinburgh marking the 80th anniversary of my uncle’s death, at the memorial erected in his honour.
The memorial to Corporal Thomas Hunter KC in LeithThe memorial to Corporal Thomas Hunter KC in Leith
The memorial to Corporal Thomas Hunter KC in Leith | Edinburgh Evening News
I am not sure if my granny ever found peace as she came to terms with her loss, but she had one possession that might have helped her.
She was given a King James Bible by her local church, St Aidan’s Parish Church in Stenhouse, Edinburgh, to mark the death of my uncle. It is inscribed with the words from St John’s Gospel, Greater love hath no man than this.
She held on to that Bible until her death. I hope it brought the comfort she deserved.