Obituary: Duncan "Spike" Milliken, 63, ex-soldier

A FORMER soldier honoured for bravery after tackling armed bank robbers has died at the age of 63

Duncan "Spike" Milliken was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal after foiling the robbers' getaway in Bonnyrigg in 1994.

Mr Milliken had been chatting in the street with a friend when they spotted the raiders running from the Bank of Scotland to their getaway car. Despite the robbers opening fire he and his friend, off-duty Detective Constable John Duffy, ran and tackled them as they got into their vehicle.

Mr Milliken grabbed the driver and knocked a gun from his hand. As he did so, a third passer-by, Davie Dunn, also leaned into the car and hit the driver around the head with a plastic bag full of bottles.

Moments later, Mr Dunn was shot and killed by another of the robbers, who was in the back seat.

Three men were jailed for life for his murder.

Mr Milliken, who went with Mr Dunn's family to Buckingham Palace to receive their awards from the Queen, said at the time: "Tackling the gunmen was just one of those things. There was no time to stop and think."

Mr Milliken's widow, Gwen, said he had acted automatically after seeing the robbers push over an old woman.

She added: "He was a bit shocked afterwards - I think his army training had kicked in and you would do what you have to do - but it stuck with him, he had quite a few nightmares."

She said he had always been modest about his role in the robbery, even when he received the Queen's Gallantry Medal: "He was proud of it but he said he only did what anybody would have done. He didn't like being in the limelight."

Born in Glasgow, Spike's family left the city when he was a baby and he went to school in Dalkeith.

From there he joined the Army, serving with the Royal Scots in locations including Germany and Cyprus.

On leaving the Army in 1979 he moved to Bonnyrigg, where he met Gwen, who was at the time his neighbour. They married in 1984 and had four sons, Duncan, Billy, Neil and Stephen, and a daughter, Laura.

Spike drove for Eastern Scottish Buses but took early retirement in the 1990s. He then devoted his life to his family, which grew to include five grandchildren.

Mrs Milliken said: "He could make a joke out of anything. He always saw the good side in people."