THURSDAY saw Kirkcaldy Crematorium packed out for the funeral of Cowdenbeath's last remaining World War II Veteran, 92 year old Mr John McGhee.

John was a well admired man within the local community and this was proved not only by the amount of people who turned out but also by the various different organisations they represented.

There were people there from the Community Council, every local church plus friends and family from far and near, including Jim Leishman, the Provost of Fife.

John was a Royal Marine and the choice of hymns reflected this, with “Will Your Anchor Hold” and “Eternal Father, Strong To Serve” with the famous lines, “Oh, hear us when we cry to thee, For those in peril on the sea”. In a very touching moment, a member of the Royal Marine's band played The Last Post at the service.

The service was conducted by Reverend Graeme Kinloch, the minister of Cowdenbeath Baptist Church, who knew him well and spoke about how John's strong Christian faith had helped him face the many challenges life brought his way. The service also included a bible reading from the Reverend Harry Telfer.

After the war John came back to Cowdenbeath and resumed his career as a butcher, marrying his sweetheart Mina in 1947. Later on this year they would have celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary. Although Mina is herself frail, she was there at the service with all her family around her.

The minister spoke of John's long involvement with community issues, his time in the Normandy Veteran's Association and his involvement in securing a World War II memorial for Cowdenbeath, remembering the civilians as well as the military personnel who perished. Mostly he spoke of his kind, loving nature, his attitude whereby he was always planning ahead and the amount of time he had for young people, encouraging them to fulfil their aspirations and of John's great love for his family.