THE 99th birthday of a veteran was celebrated in style as an official Black Watch piper played for him.

Henry McKenzie Johnston, a 99-year-old veteran of the Second World War, served in the Black Watch in North Africa and Italy at Cassino.

His son, Robert McKenzie Johnston, said as his father had recently moved to Greenwell House, a nursing home in Bedale, and was unable to have visitors due to Covid-19, he wanted to arrange something special.

The piper was Pipe Major Stephen Beattie of the Black Watch Association Pipe Band in Stoke on Trent.

Mr McKenzie Johnston said: "The Black Watch recruited from Stoke on Trent during the war and many of Dad’s soldiers came from there, which is why it has a pipe band.

"Dad joined the Black Watch as a private soldier from school in 1940 and served with the 6th Battalion in North Africa, Italy and Greece.

"He finished the war as a Major. He was awarded a Mention in Dispatches for capturing a German machine gun position armed only with a pistol. Luckily, as he says, he failed to kill anyone!

"After the war he joined the Foreign Office and served abroad in France, Germany, Uruguay, Mexico and Trinidad.

"He became a resident in Greenwell House Bedale two months ago, where the staff look after him wonderfully well.

"I wanted to organise something special for his birthday, as I can't go in to see him, and I thought the piper would make it an event.

"The piper, Pipe Major Stephen Beattie, has met Dad before at the National Memorial Arboretum, when my Dad was there for a parade some years ago.

"He remembered meeting Dad, so it was wonderful he could come all the way from Stoke on Trent to perform for him."

He added: "Dad seemed to really enjoy the performance, although he was exhausted at the end of it. His memory of recent events is not very good anymore, but his memory of his time in the war is still vivid.

"It was nice to see him in his uniform and medals."