Political titan Alex Salmond gets quietest of farewells in his most trusted circle

For a man who has often been described as a political titan, it was the quietest of farewells.

On Tuesday, Alex Salmond, the former First Minister of Scotland, a man who fought long and hard for a political earthquake in his home nation, was laid to rest in Strichen Cemetery as around 100 people watched him gently lowered into the ground.

As is often the way in this part of the world, fanfare and fuss was well muted as Mr Salmond made his final journey on a bright, clear day as autumn wore its softest crown.

The still of Strichen was temporarily lifted by piper Fergus Mutch, who previously worked for Mr Salmond, leading mourners to the graveside, with tunes including A Man's a Man for A' That.

Mourners follow Mr Salmond's coffin to Strichen Cemetery following the church service. | National World

Mr Salmond was buried, according to locals, facing the White Horse of Mormond Hill, a large quartz figure in the landscape that was built by local people in the late 18th Century.

The White Horse is perhaps as much a defining part of Strichen as Alex Salmond was - and will, no doubt, continue to be.

The funeral was a strictly private affair with Moira, Mr Salmond’s widow, and his family closely limiting who could attend.

It was in Strichen where the Salmonds enjoyed the privacy offered by a village where the former First Minister was known to many just as Alex as he went about his daily business, in earlier years walking his dog in the woods or doing his shopping in the Co-op or his glass recycling.

Mourners included a visibly shaken Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, chair of the Alba Party, who was with Mr Salmond at a conference in North Macedonia when he suffered a fatal heart attack during a lunch, and Kenny MacAskill, the acting leader of Alba, who delivered the eulogy for his friend of 60 years and a political colleague of more than four decades.

Former speaker of the House of Commons John Berkow (centre) and Joanna Cherry (third right) leave the funeral service of former first minister of Scotland Alex Salmond, at Strichen Parish Church in Strichen PIC: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire | Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

Ash Regan, former SNP MSP who defected to Alba; John Bercow, former speaker of the House of Commons and Joan McAlpine, former SNP MSP, were among invited guests as were former SNP MPs Jim Sillars and Joanna Cherry.

Veteran SNP politicians Fergus Ewing - who also delivered an address during the funeral - and his sister Annabelle were also among those who filed into the church to be greeted by his sister Gail.

Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

The names of those who did not attend the service tell as much of its own story about Mr Salmond’s allies in the later part of his life and the political faultlines in the SNP, which he led from 1990 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2014.

During the service, there was a flavour of the battles which came to engulf Mr Salmond with Mr Ewing, a close friend, promising to “seek justice for Alex” and pledging devotion to that mission.

Mr Salmond was in the process of suing the Scottish government over a botched investigation into harassment complaints at the time of his death, aged 69.

“That is for one day, but not for this day,” Mr Ewing said.

On this day, the funeral of Mr Salmond was marked quietly, humbly and with dignity amongst his most trusted circle.

Mrs Salmond, whose privacy was fiercely guarded by her late husband, was amongst the last to arrive at Strichen Parish Church, her home just a short distance away, with her emerging from a brown limousine with the help of two women who closely sheltered her as she entered the kirk.

Outside, a trickle of supporters gathered, some walking from their homes and others coming in from places like Cullen, Inverurie and Fraserburgh on the bus. For them, it was the last chance to pay their respects in their corner of the world, where Mr Salmond was first elected as an MP for Banff and Buchan in 1987.

Outside the White Horse Hotel, saltires hung over the car park with the “Dream Will Never Die” drawn carefully on the chalkboard outside. One man recalled being treated to a dinner in here in 2011 by Mr Salmond after the MP successfully managed to stop the deportation of a local Latvian family.

Scott Davidson, from near Cullen, turned out to pay his respects given his family links to the Salmonds.

He said: “Today I am representing my parents from Turriff who knew Alex and it is to respect Moira and the family and to pass that sentiment from our family to theirs on such a sombre day.

“We knew Alex from way back in the 1980s when he first became a politician. He was a political machine and he represented this part of the world I felt, the North East of Scotland and Scotland more generally very well, both in Scotland and globally. He was an excellent, capable politician and as a human being he was a character to say the least, very sociable, could get on with anyone at any level and he will be sorely missed, not least by the Scottish nationalist fraternity.

“I think the sentiment of today and the way it is done for Moira and the family, it is correct and the way it should be .”

Hilary Murphy, a school cleaner, said Mr Salmond had been part of the village for much of her life. | National World

Meanwhile, Hilary Murphy, 46, a school cleaner, stood outside the church to pay her respects to a man who had been a feature throughout much of her life in the village.

She said: “I remember when he used to come down to the fetes in the village, he would come down and get his photograph taken, walking about, eating his ice cream. I moved away for 20 years and then came back and then would see him in the woods walking his dog and he was always with someone with a suit. He really was part of the community.”

Rosemary Jardine, a former resident of Strichen and now of Inverurie, said: “When Alex and Moira moved to Strichen first they were neighbours of ours up beside the church and he was a very, very personable person to speak to, despite his position as MP. Once, I remember he was very helpful to my son and my son has never forgotten it.

Rosemary Jardine , a former neighbour of Mr Salmond's, took to the streets of Strichen yesterday to pay her respects. | Contributed

“He was very much part of the community here and he was just a lovely man. It was a private funeral so we thought we would keep our distance and pay our respects in our own way. It is a very sad day.”

Ms Jardine added there have been growing calls recently to have a street renamed in Strichen to Alex Salmond Way. Yesterday, the village was his - and will always be.