Macduff World War Two Royal Navy veteran celebrates 100th birthday
A man who served in the Royal Navy during World War Two has celebrated reaching his 100th birthday.
Alastair Paterson of Fife Street marked his milestone day with family and friends.
The veteran served as a telegraphist on HMS Royalist which saw him involved in action in Norway, the Mediterranean and the Pacific.
Alastair was born on February 2, 1925 and was raised in Macduff.
He attended Macduff Primary School and went on to Banff Academy for his secondary education.
Following this he started working in his family’s fish selling company, Alexander Paterson.
However, he had ambitions to join the Merchant Navy following in the footsteps of two of his friends who became wireless operators.
He ended up being called up to fight in the war in 1943 and was to join the Army but he offered to go into the Navy and was accepted.
After completing his basic training at HMS Royal Arthur near Skegness, he trained at the Naval wireless school near Portsmouth.
When he finished his training he qualified as a telegraphist and was drafted to the light cruiser HMS Royalist which was based on the Clyde. It was the flagship for escort carriers.
His time in the war included spells in the North Sea where the aircraft attacked the German battleship Tirpitz in Norway.
After that they moved to the Mediterranean supporting landings in the south of France.
Alastair said: “Eventually we went out east to Ceylon, which is now Sri Lanka, and we finished the war there.
“I happened to be on watch when the Japanese declared they had surrendered, so I passed on the message to the task force I was with for the ships to return.”
Alastair was involved with Banffshire’s commemoration event for the 75th anniversary of VJ Day in 2020.
After he was demobbed in 1946, he returned to Macduff and worked in his family firm eventually becoming a partner in the business.
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He met his wife Jessie Kynoch at social dances in Banff. They married in 1952 at the Gardner Church in Macduff.
The couple set up their home in the town and raised three children - Moira, Brenda and Duncan.
Alastair and Jessie were married for just over 70 years until Jessie passed away on Boxing Day in 2022.
As well as his three children, Alastair has five grandchildren.
He was also a councillor and Justice of the Peace. He was asked to be Provost, as previous Paterson generations, but declined.
He was an accomplished amateur photographer in the slide film era and was a founder member of the Deveron Camera Club.
He has always had a great interest in ships and model boats.
He was a school classmate of Billie Heinrich, who also recently celebrated her 100th birthday.
Alastair still lives independently in his home and said behaving himself by not drinking or smoking has ensured he has lived so long.
He celebrated his 100th birthday with a family meal at the Banff Springs Hotel.
He was visited on his special day by the Lord-Lieutenant of Banffshire Andrew Simpson.
