A former Angus salesman and prisoner of war camp escapee has died peacefully after a short illness. He was 93.
Stanley Philip Edward died at Orchard Care Home in Tullibody, having lived all his life in Arbroath until the last 18 months.
Born in the Angus town in 1920, Mr Edward left school at 13 and went to work with lemonade company Robb Brothers and stayed with the firm until retirement. He entered armed service with The Black Watch at the outbreak of the Second World War.
After a period of training in the Highlands, Mr Edward took ship round the Horn of Africa, joined the army on the continent and was part of the force that took Sicily in 1943.
He was captured during the invasion and remained in a prisoner of war camp in Austria until the last few months of the war.
It was at that time Mr Edward and a few other soldiers saw a chance to escape and went to meet the Allied forces as they swept eastward through Germany.
After returning, he worked as a driver for a number of years before making his way up to sales manager before retirement in 1985.
Mr Edward married Irene in 1937 after the couple met in Brechin. She died in 2005. He is survived by his son Robin, and daughter-in-law Christine.
The service takes place at 2.30pm on Thursday in George Stewart Funeral Directors’ chapel, Arbroath, and thereafter to Parkgrove Crematorium, Friockheim.