The mother of a slain Fife soldier who criticised military chiefs for refusing a bid to visit a memorial in Afghanistan has finally said farewell to him, after the monument for fallen soldiers was moved to the UK.
Linda Mason-Buchanan, 52, of Kelty, saw the name of Black Watch corporal Tam Mason, 27, etched on the memorial wall at its opening by Prince Harry.
Two years ago she was denied a visit to Camp Bastion in war-torn Helmand province, where it first stood.
The Ministry of Defence said she was a “security risk” and blocked the trip despite flying in celebrities to visit troops.
She told The Courier then that she saw “no reason why mums can’t go out there”.
It was her view that celebrities like Cheryl Cole, footballer David Beckham and X Factor judge Gary Barlow, who had made recent trips to Afghanistan, were “more of a security risk with their entourages”.
She has welcomed the unveiling of the replica memorial at the National Arboretum, near Lichfield, Staffordshire, which lists 453 lives lost in the conflict.
Linda said: “It was very emotional. It made me wonder about the times Tam would have stood looking at the names of his friends, never thinking his name would be on there one day, too.”
She added: “Tam was everything to me and he loved his job in the army.
“He must have been so terrified going out on operations but he was killed during a routine patrol when he would have presumed it was safe.
“I am so proud of all the work he and all the brother heroes did in Afghanistan.
“Losing a child is not something that I will ever get over but this is a fitting tribute.”
Linda wore her son’s medals to the ceremony and laid red roses at the wall.
She also left cards from Tam’s sisters, Lindsay-Ann, 35, and Kelly, 28, and his 25-year-old widow, Kylie Mason.
Prince Harry wearing full military dress laid a wreath during the service, which included hymns, readings and prayers and ended with a lone piper’s lament.
Prime Minister David Cameron also attended.
Corporal Mason, who served with The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, was on his second tour of Afghanistan when he stepped on a roadside bomb in Kandahar in 2009.
He was flown to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham, where he lost his fight for life.
Linda later helped establish a new Garden for Heroes in Dunfermline.
The Bastion memorial had a cross made of shell casings which sat on top of the original wall in Afghanistan. It was built by Royal Engineers sappers during their spare time.