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the Army and went to live in Oldham where his father ran a pub. There he met Marion whom he married on 24 April 1965 just after Peter had re-enlisted and re- joined the 3rd Carabiniers. Their first married posting was in Germany where their daughter Anne Marie was born in 1966 followed by their son Peter in 1967.
Peter remained in the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards after amalgamation and, following a series of moves, he was posted to the Ayrshire Yeomanry where Peter spent two years before leaving the Army to work at Prestwick Airport. However, Marion missed her fam- ily and so they decided to return to Oldham. Peter went to work for George Dews in construction as a piler and driller. He worked away from home a lot and it was while he was working in Rosyth he had a serious accident. A minibus in which he and some others were travelling rolled down a steep embankment. Peter was seriously hurt and had to undergo surgery to have pins in his arm and shoulder. This injury prevented him from working for some time. Eventually he went back to an office-based job working on pensions for the Civil Service. This was a complete change as he had always done active jobs and he didn’t really like sitting at an office desk.
Peter retired from work when he suffered from breath- ing difficulties and was diagnosed with COPD. He and Marion went to live in Royton but Marion’s health deteriorated and she went to live in a care home. Peter’s health also suffered and he had to undergo heart valve surgery to improve his breathing. Sadly, after the oper- ation, complications set in, he was too weak to fight it and he died on 20 July 2021 leaving those who knew him, in particular his children and devoted grand- children, Peter, Tom, Michael and Cailyn with won- derful and precious memories of him. His memorial service was held at Oldham Crematorium Chapel on 20 August.
John Campbell
John was born in the Elsie Inglis Maternity Hospital, Edinburgh on 3 January 1945 to Maud and George. His father was still in Germany as the war was still being fought and John, his mother, sister Annette and older brother George, lodged in a tenement in Leith. John was born with Infantile Paralysis and, because he needed
treatment in Edinburgh and the family had outgrown their home, his brother George was sent to Fife to stay with his grandmother. After two years, John and the rest of the family moved to Fife but had to be broken
up again because of overcrowding and lack of accom- modation. The family eventually moved into a home of their own in Ballingry. It was as if their mother had won the football pools as it was a three bedroomed house with an inside toilet and a bath. John, George and his sisters Annette and Sandra all attended the new Benarty Primary School on the opposite side of the road from the house and he joined the 98th Fife Cubs.
The family then moved to Kirkcaldy and John went to Viewforth Secondary School. On his 15th birthday he left school to become a miner at the Michael Colliery in East Wemyss. He was employed as an underground Pug Driver, a small gauge engine that moved coal tubs to the cages which would then be wound to the sur- face. On one occasion he narrowly prevented a disaster when he used his pug to slow down and bring to a halt a runaway man carrying train.
In 1962 John decided to join the Army having seen his brother, George, already in the Royal Scots Greys, as part of a recruiting team set up their display of a Ferret scout car, a Saracen troop carrier and a Saladin armoured car in Kirkcaldy. John signed up on 3 July 1962 and joined the Regiment in Aden on 5 April 1963. He served in Germany, Canada, Northern Ireland and in Cyprus as part of the United Nations Peace Keeping Force. He also went on two postings as a Regimental recruiter and an Army recruiter in Dundee and Glenrothes. He was a keen sportsman and for a while was a member of the Langlauf Ski Team with Sir Ranulph Fiennes and his good friend Sandy Fowler. It was while on a posting to Bovington that he met Geraldine who worked in a shop in the village. They married on 25 February 1967. They had two children, Chris and Caroline. They spent many years in Germany and, although he was often away, he was always around to enjoy time with the fam- ily during the summer holidays. He also took them to an Outward Bounds Summer Activity club for Army children and was passionate that they developed their skills and sense of adventure through activities such as abseiling, canoeing, forest crafts and camping. John was also a keen caravanner and toured extensively over Europe with the family.
At the end of his regular service, John transferred to the Long Service List as an army recruiter, responsible for running the recruiting office in Glenrothes. John even- tually left the Army on 2 January 2000 after 38 years service. He was a great soldier, had a good rapport with people and was always committed and enthusiastic in everything he did. He reached the rank of WO2 and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his service and the contribution he made to recruiting in Scotland.
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