Local 95-year-old veteran of Burma campaign to take part in Armed Forces Day

Date Added - 19/06/12

A 95-year-old former soldier will be among veterans taking part in Saturday’s Armed Forces Day ceremony in Buckie.

Bert Samuel – who served in Burma during the Second World War – is expected to be the oldest veteran on parade for this year’s event, which will again honour service personnel both past and present.

It follows the success of similar events in Elgin in 2008, Forres in 2009, Keith in 2010 and Lossiemouth last year.

Armed Forces Day is an opportunity to raise public awareness of the contribution that the uniformed services continue to make to the country and for the public to turn out and show their support.

Mr Samuel, of High Street, Buckie, served in the Royal Artillery attached to the 17th Light Indian Division from 1942 until the end of the war and spent more than three years in Burma under the command of Brigadier Slim.

A former depute regional architect for Grampian, he helped to found the Buckie branch of the Royal British Legion in 1960 and is its oldest member.

He takes part in the Armistice Day service in Buckie every year and has attended the Armed Forces Day parade in Aberdeen since its inception five years ago. The parade gives him the opportunity to meet up with the dwindling number of old comrades from his time in Burma.

Mr Samuel, who is a holder of the Burma Star which he will be wearing on Saturday along with his other service medals, said he was looking forward to taking part in the parade along with other members of the legion branch.

Among the younger participants will be 21-year-old Suzanna Carson, a member of the Aberdeen University Officer Training Corps.

Suzanna, from Laurencekirk, has just graduated in architectural technology and is a drummer in the OTC band which will be involved in the Buckie parade as well as the Aberdeen parade which is being held the following weekend.

Currently taking part in a training camp at RAF Kinloss, she said: “I’m very proud and honoured to be taking part in the Buckie parade. It is good to be able to represent the OTC in such an important event.”

The parade will set off from the Buckie British Legion club in High Street at 3pm and march to the war memorial in Cluny Square where there will be a flypast by a Tornado aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth and where a number of service personnel will be presented with medals.

Following the parade and presentation the activity will transfer to Bank Street, where there will be a refreshment marquee operated by the Royal British Legion and a vantage point to view the RAF and RNLI search and rescue demonstration off Buckie harbour.