VJ vet is honoured guest

Moffat Royal British Legion chairman and Navy veteran Billy Duncan BEM was invited by First Minster Nicola Sturgeon and the city of Edinburgh to be their guest at a reception in Bute House before going to the stirring musical performance on Saturday.
The VJ 70th anniversary celebrations have been a busy time for Billy who, as a holder of the Burma Star war medal, was interviewed by the world’s media regarding his service in the Far East during the war against Japan. During the performance
he was also given the honour of sharing a place in the VIP box with the First Minister and other invited guests.
He said: “I was very honoured to be part of it.”
Joining Billy on the day were his three invited guests—Tommy Lane, Bill Lindsay and Jim Wynd who all agreed that it was a day to remember for the unforgettable hospitality, performance and spectacular fireworks display.
Earlier in the year Billy was also invited to attend the Quintinshill memorial service at Gretna where he was again introduced to the First Minister and Her Royal Highness Princess Anne and he will be a guest at next month’s Lord Dowding Memorial
Service, which will be attended by the Duke of Gloucester.
During his service as a cadet in the Merchant Navy the ship he was serving on was part of a large task force code named ‘Operation Zipper’ and was in the Straits of Malacca when the atomic bombs were dropped.
They also brought home the first batch of POWs from the death railways and notorious Shangi jail in Singapore following the Japanese surrender.