Honouring Fred's life of service to British Legion

ROYAL British Legion volunteer Fred Kaye has visited Buckingham Palace to receive an MBE in recognition of many decades of service to the organisation.

Mr Kaye, originally from Dublin, joined the RAF in 1945 at the age of 19. Two years later he was sent to serve in India during Partition and spent three years on an airbase in Karachi. He served for a total of eight years as a corporal technician.

While in the RAF he met Margaret, and when they married he moved to her hometown of Bathgate, where they have lived ever since. They have a daughter, Jeanette.

Mr Kaye, now 84, set up his own tool repairs business, Kayes of Bathgate, which he ran for 40 years. He also joined the Auxiliary Air Force, serving with the 603 City of Edinburgh Squadron until it disbanded in 1957.

His service with the Royal British Legion began in 1956, and in 1970 he was appointed pensions and welfare officer for the Bathgate branch - a position he still holds today. He is also president of the branch.

He has also served as president of Edinburgh and Lothians area, as a member of the national pensions committee and the national council, and organised memorial parades for West Lothian.

Mr Kaye also represents the Royal British Legion at the Scottish War Blinded centre at Linburn, has collected money for the Poppy Appeal for many years and spent 20 years as a caseworker for the military welfare charity, SSAFA Forces Help.

He said: "It became my hobby. I've really helped thousands of ex-servicemen to obtain war pensions. There are so many people that could do with my help. Some of the tales I've heard from some of the ex-servicemen I couldn't repeat - the injustices that were being perpetrated on them."

Mr Kayestill carries out a weekly surgery for those with war pension problems, and is an expert on recent developments such as the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

He received his honour in the Queen's Birthday list earlier this year, and says of the day it was announced: "The house was full of people congratulating me. It was great, they nearly had me in tears."

He travelled to the Palace on Wednesday to receive his honour, and said: "It was a marvellous experience, tremendous, that's the only way to describe everything that happened. It was the experience of a lifetime, I wouldn't have missed it for anything."

Despite suffering from cancer and currently using a wheelchair, Mr Kaye is awaiting knee surgery and hopes to be back on his feet by the end of this year. He remains an active volunteer, not only with the Royal British Legion.

Despite his own age and ill health, he said: "I play keyboards and go out and entertain the old folks in old folks' homes in West Lothian, they're a great crowd to be with and I really enjoy it."