A bereaved Fife mother involved a bitter tug-of-love over her war hero son’s burial has called on his widow to finally let him rest in peace.
Linda McComiskie, who lives in Methil, has angrily spoken out after reports surfaced over the weekend claiming that Stacy Connolly had not seen a penny of her late husband’s estate following his death in 2011.
The pair have been involved in a lengthy feud ever since Private Mark Connolly died in a pub fight in Germany, with Pte Connolly’s body remaining in a morgue in London until a court ruled he should be buried in Forfar as his widow wished.
Reports have now suggested that Mrs Connolly is angry that cash left in his will which she believes should have gone to her had since been spent, although her mother-in-law has now hit back.
“She is the one bringing all this back again, not letting my dear devoted son rest in peace,” Linda said.
“It’s pure greed with this widow – she never cared about my son, only money, and she doesn’t deserve any of this money after all the pain and grief and suffering she has put us through.
“We’ve done nothing to her yet she took everything of my son’s, even my son himself.
“She wouldn’t even let us get my son’s body to have a service at our local church for him.
“He was my son and I hope she has to live with what she has done to us for the rest of her life.”
The latest row comes around a year-and-a-half after there were ugly scenes at Pte Connolly’s funeral at the Newmonthill Cemetery in Forfar as tensions boiled over.
Pte Connolly’s widow and mother-in-law exchanged angry words at the graveside, while a floral tribute from Linda was put in a bin.
Linda told The Courier that her solicitor had used most of the money to pay off legal bills, with the remaining sum – thought to be around £800 – given to Pte Connolly’s brothers.
“I’ve got nothing to hide,” she stressed. “I kept the cheque for a few months then gave it to my three boys, Mark’s brothers.
“She has had enough, those boys had nothing. Why can’t she just leave us alone and get on with her own life?
“It’s one of her sick games – I almost feel sorry for her having to drag all this up again.
“It’s been hard enough having to live without my son being here.”
Widow declines to respond to claims
Mrs Connolly said she did not wish to make any comment on the matter.
In 2014, the grieving widow won the right to bury her husband in Forfar following a civil court hearing in the Angus town.
In a damning judgment, Sheriff Valerie Johnston said the soldier’s mother had pursued the case thorough self-interest and a “distinct lack of compassion”.
The sheriff said Mrs McComiskie had “thought only of herself….with little regard for the body of her son languishing in storage in London for over three years.”
Stacey Connelly was described in the judgment as having conducted herself throughout the court case in a “quiet dignified manner and with due regard to the delicacy of the matter”.
Mrs McComiskie subsequently abandoned plans to challenge the sheriff’s ruling after failing to secure legal aid for the action.
