Private Ronald McLugash

Ronald McLugash was born on the Scottish island of Islay and was six feet two inches in height with a strong physique to match.

He volunteered for airborne forces after being called up at the end of the Second World War.

Ron qualified as a military parachutist on course 164, which ran at RAF Ringway from 15 May to 2 June 1945, and was initially posted to The Parachute Regiment Reserve Battalion.

He was later posted to the Indian Airborne Division and selected by Major Freddie Templer to serve in 44th (later 2nd) Independent Pathfinder Company.

His nephew Ian Black recalled: 'He only ever spoke about his time in India once. He remembered seeing a pile of bodies after a Hindu/Muslim massacre and saw one of them moving. He pulled out the poor soul and applied a field dressing before crossing a railway bridge to find assistance. When he got to the other side, someone had already thrown the body of the poor soul under a train, and when the train left the dogs were at the remains.'

Ron returned to Islay to look after his widowed mother after he was demobilised. He later left the island to work on the construction of hydro-electric dams and tunnels in the Scottish Highlands.

After this work ran out he joined a company blasting out mine shafts to reach the coal faces before production started. Sadly he developed pneumoconiosis, a lung disease caused by the inhalation of dust from his mining work.

He went to live with his sister in Glasgow after retirement and died on 4 December 1998 from cancer.

Ron is remembered as a strong, quiet and generous man who devoured books with a passion.