Milngavie veteran marks special 91st birthday

After serving in the Royal Air Force for two years shortly after World War Two, Mary Halpin from Milngavie received her veterans badge as she celebrated her 91st birthday.

Mary was stationed first in Wiltshire before returning to Scotland to join the RAF recruitment team in Edinburgh.

She was congratulated in person in a visit from Anne O’Hagan DL at her home, where she recounted memories of days past and spoke of her enduring pride in being a veteran.

Mary had been evacuated as a child during WWII while her brother saw active service with the Royal Navy.

Her husband of 46 years Tommy, who passed away some years ago, himself nursed wounded servicemen from the Korean War. He had already suffered the loss of his brother killed at Anzio and another seriously wounded in North Africa.

Present when Mrs O'Hagan visited Mary was her son Tom who said, 'there is no doubt that living through both WWII and the Korean War shaped mum's deep sense of pride in our family's military service and she always reminded us ourselves growing up of the contribution our relatives made. This veterans badge is a wonderful recognition that she played her own part and we are all grateful to the Dunbartonshire Lieutenancy for this acknowledgement.'