GLENCRAIG miner Peter Johnstone became a very good footballer and was a stalwart for Celtic.
But just as his career was flourishing the Great War broke out a and Peter joined up in 1916.
And it was while he was fighting in the Battle of Arras in May 1917 that he was killed.
Thanks to the work of the local Celtic Supporters Club and members of the public a special memorial was created opposite Ore Park, in Glencraig, and it was at that almost 100 years to the day he died that a special tribute event was held which was attended by Celtic captain Scott Brown, from Hill of Beath; and Lisbon Lion Jim Craig, along with family members, representatives of the armed services and people from the Benarty community.
One of the people behind the creation of the memorial, Mike Payne, said: “This event to commemorate the centenary of the death of Peter Johnstone and the Battle of Arras was a fitting tribute to the memory of Peter and to everyone who perished during the battle. 
“Peter was one of thousands of men who paid the ultimate sacrifice and today they were very much in our thoughts.
 “I would like to thank those who took part in the event, the members of Peter’s family, the speakers, the Celtic FC representatives including Scott Brown, and the former armed forces men who turned out to remember a former colleague.”
Peter Johnstone’s grandson, Jim Frew, said there were four other Celtic players killed during World War One and a number of supporters and the family were hoping that a plaque would be erected at Celtic Park to remember those who lost their lives during the war.
One of the Celtic representatives was Jim Craig, who was the right-back of the Celts team which won the European Cup in 1967, and he reflected on the lot of some modern day footballers: “When you compare what Peter Johnstone was confronted with to the lives of modern day footballers it really was an entirely different story. It was a remarkable thing that Peter did.” 
He played more than 200 times for Celtic and played in four title winning sides and two Scottish Cup winning teams.