Charlie Prophet, a firefighter during the days jute blazes were common in Dundee, has died aged 85.
Mr Prophet, who also served in British Guyana with The Black Watch, rose to become assistant divisional officer in Tayside Fire Brigade.
He was also emergency planning officer for the brigade, working with the MoD on preparations for a nuclear attack.
At the end of his 31-year firefighting career, Mr Prophet went on to become safety officer at Abertay University.
Mr Prophet, known as Charlie, was born in Forfar to Eliza and William Prophet.
He attended Forfar Academy and, on leaving school, began working in the parts department of a garage.
Between 1954 and 1956 Charlie served with The Black Watch in British Guyana during National Service.
His stepdaughter, Carrie Westwell said: “He did not speak much about his time in The Black Watch but he did say he enjoyed the Demerara rum out there.”
He then returned to Forfar to work in a mill and enrolled as a retained firefighter.
In 1962 he joined Angus fire brigade which later became part of the amalgamated Tayside Fire Brigade.
He lived with his family in a flat above the fire station at Strathmore Avenue, Dundee, while he was based at Bell Street and later Blackness Road. In later years, he returned to occupy the same flat above the station.
Carrie said: “In those days there were warehouses full of jute in Dundee and if fire took hold, the blazes could last for days.”
Blackness fire station
Charlie was promoted to assistant divisional officer working from Blackness fire station, Dundee, where he was responsible for the retained fire stations in the region.
He retired from the fire service in 1993 and went to work at Abertay University for several years.
Charlie had three children, Rhona, Sandra and George, to his first wife Helen Gourlay. In 1992, he married Helen Young.
Golfer
Outside work and in retirement, Charlie played golf at Grange, Monifieth, often with retired or serving fire service colleagues.
He was a very gifted musically and could read sheet music as well as play by ear. He was also known for his poetry recitations and two of his favourites were Tam o’ Shanter and Abou Ben Adam.
Carrie said: “He played the harmonica, in fact he played many musical instruments, mainly at family gatherings. He also played the keyboard, melodion and accordion.”
Sunburn
His daughter, Rhona, said: “In his army days he was travelling over Christmas and there was a stop in the West Indies. He managed to get a very fine Christmas dinner at the only venue, a very classy hotel.
“At that age, he had never experienced anything like it but he was also put on charges for self-inflicted injury: sunburn.”
Charlie was a regular attender at St Margaret’s Church, Barnhill.
The family’s announcement can be read here.