A KELTY family has started a fund to create a mural in the village depicting their beloved brother, Private Paul Lowe, who died in Iraq in 2004.

At just 19, Paul was serving with the Black Watch when he was one of three soldiers killed while conducting a vehicle checkpoint at a point east of the Euphrates on November 4, 2004.

A suicide bomber drove his car at the men and exploded the device.

It killed Paul, Sergeant Stuart Gray, from Dunfermline; and Private Scott McArdle, from Glenrothes; along with an Iraqi interpreter, and wounded eight other soldiers.

Paul's brothers, Stuart, Craig, Shaun and Jordan, have set up a Go Fund Me page in the hope of raising £6,000 fund a wall mural in Kelty for their brother.

The village has been transformed with artwork thanks to the Kelty Street Art Collective. Currently, a group of artists are creating a mural to another of Kelty's sons, boxer Connor Law, who died suddenly this summer.

Stuart, 31, said: "We would love nothing more than for a mural of Paul to take place in his beloved home community of Kelty and with your help we can achieve this!

"We have tried many ways to have a public remembrance for Paul and all attempts have failed, so now, as a family, we are taking on the task ourselves.

"Connor's mural gave me the idea to set up something for my brother.

"Paul, along with the other two soldiers, were local so it was a real shock for the community.

"I was about 15 at the time and my two little brothers were very young.

"Our brother, Craig, was also on the same tour with Paul but he had been sent home for R&R, so we could have lost him too."

Military life has been a big part of the Lowe family. Their dad was also in the Black Watch but he died when the brothers were young.

Paul, Craig and Stuart all signed up to the army as soon as they left school.

Stuart, unfortunately, didn't pass his medical due to health problems but Craig is still serving and is a drum major for the Black Watch.

At 17, Craig was one of the youngest serving soldiers when he was sent on his first tour to Iraq.

Their cousin was also there when the bomb exploded as well as a close friend who was medically discharged because of shrapnel wounds to his leg.

"It's been 15 years now but it is still hard," Stuart explained.

"But everyone who goes through grief knows it comes and goes.

"Unfortunately, we lost our mum, Helen, six years ago to cancer. It was her dream to have a memorial for Paul so we are doing this for her.

"It's great all the art that is around in the village. We've been trying different politicians for years to get a memorial but we've just had false promises and nothing has really come of it.

"Everybody keeps saying since we set the page up that Paul deserves something so we're overwhelmed by the support."

To donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/mural-in-memory-of-pte-paul-lowe