REGARDING the recent letters from “Grave Concern” and “Annoyed”, I would like to make them aware of one or two facts they seem not to know.

I did not organise any public meeting requesting the removal of the cenotaph.

A public meeting regarding relocating the memorial was organised by Benarty Community Council as they are the organisation who look after the memorial.

Furthermore, I was not present at the said public meeting and I do not have the faintest idea from where you got your misinformation. You also state you were informed by a member of the committee, which committee would this be?

“Grave Concern” states he/she feels quite strongly that the public should have their say on this matter. Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t that the whole reason for the public meeting? At the meeting I believe a number of different sites were available and after a full discussion a vote was taken and the site on Lochleven Road came out on top.

If you two feel so strongly about the re-siting of the memorial why weren’t you at the public meeting?

Now, not that this is anybody’s business but mine and that of the former committee of Lochore Miners Institute, I will make this public. I was approached by a member of the committee of Lochore Institute and asked if I was interested in buying the land to the north of the club. He stated that due to the precarious financial position of the club they needed to raise funds quickly and were looking to sell this area of land and would I be interested in purchasing it. I said no as the memorial was on the land.

Later, I was asked to attend a meeting within the Institute. Present at that meeting were committee members from the club, members of Benarty Community Council along with one of the local councillors. We were told that the club had been visited by an Administrator and the committee had been notified that in order to avoid the closure they needed to raise cash quickly. They were also told the best method of doing this was to sell the land.

The Committee then stated they had approached me to buy the land and I had refused. Then we were informed that whether or not I bought the land the memorial would have to be removed from this parcel of land as they needed to sell it and sell it quickly. Benarty Community Council, along with the Councillor, agreed that due to the precarious financial position of the club there was no other option but to remove memorial from its present site.

Now regarding Peter Johnstone, who you both have misleadingly linked to the war memorial being relocated. Peter was raised in Glencraig and worked in Glencraig Colliery, he still has members of his family living in the area who are very rightly proud of his achievements.

Peter did play for Glencraig Celtic as you state, you got that right! But it was with Celtic FC where he made a name for himself playing over 230 times for the club. With Celtic, Peter won four Scottish First Division League Championships, two Scottish Cups and also won international caps with the Scottish League. In doing so Peter become, arguably, the most successful footballer, at domestic level, Fife has ever produced.

At the height of his career Peter volunteered to serve his country in its time of need, like some other footballers did, and he was killed in action on the battlefield in France.

Local people, not all members of the Ballingry Celtic Supporters Club, decided that as this year commemorates the start of the Great War the time was right to honour Peter. Both “Grave Concern” and “Annoyed” may not like this but I would point out that there are numerous footballers’ the length and breadth of Britain who have been honoured so why can’t we, as a community, honour Peter?

Finally, I would like to invite “Grave Concern” and “Annoyed” to attend the next meeting of the Peter Johnstone Memorial Garden Group and where I will be only too pleased to welcome you both and bring you up to speed with the work of the group and the life of local hero Peter Johnstone.

KEVIN PAYNE, Balbedie Avenue, Lochore.