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Appeal for mourners to attend funeral of 'unknown' soldier (Rangers related)


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An appeal has been launched to urge mourners to attend the funeral of a former soldier who has no known family.

 

Alex McDougall served his country for 30 years - being shot at and almost starving to death on meagre rations.

 

Mr McDougall, who passed away aged 77 on June 8, was "married to the job" and has no known relatives or friends - which has led to an appeal for mourners to attend his funeral.

 

Staff from Beeston Lodge Nursing Home, where he lived for 18 years, are appealing for anyone with a link to Chetwynd Barracks or the military in general to go along to the service, at Bramcote Crematorium at 3.45pm this Friday.

 

And as Mr McDougall was a huge Rangers FC fan - his ashes will be scattered at Ibrox Stadium and he will be buried in a Rangers fleece blanket - they would also like fellow team fans to pay their respects.

 

Anyone else is welcome to help give Mr McDougall a fitting send-off.

 

Aisha Morrell, activities and welfare manager at the home in Beeston Rylands, knew Mr McDougall, a jazz fan, for five years and had grown fond of him.

 

She said: "He has no living family and no friends we are aware of so it is unlikely anyone will be at his funeral. He was very much married to the job.

 

"He served his country, and he was such a nice man. It doesn't seem any way for a send-off."

 

Mr McDougall served with the Army in Scotland as a youngster, but moved to Beeston when he was 21, signing up at Chetwynd Barracks.

 

His parents died in a car crash when he was young.

 

He was a gunner and toured Cyprus and Portugal.

 

Care home staff are looking into the possibility he may have been awarded the British Empire Medal.

 

Ms Morrell said Mr McDougall, a "very proud man" who suffered from dementia and died from cancer, had told her tales of playing pranks on his Army colleagues.

 

She has tried appeals on military pages on social media to no avail.

 

Home manager Bev Hamilton said: "I just feel like he deserves some sort of a send-off. His life was the Army. He was very popular within the home. He didn't have any visitors but when other people came to see their relatives he was always friendly.

 

"I kept him up to-date with the football scores. He was a lovely chap and such a big character."

 

A spokeswoman for Rangers said: "Rangers Football Club is deeply saddened to hear loyal Rangers fan Alex McDougall has passed away. The club will make contact with the local supporters club with regard to the funeral."

 

Former Nottingham Forest centre-forward Kenny Burns, who played for the team from 1977 to 1981, is a life-long Rangers fan.

 

He said: "When Rangers supporters find out about this guy I think good numbers will go along. In a club they are a family."

 

David Thomas, of the Royal Artillery Association Nottingham branch, said: "It's a shame that people like this drop out of the Army family. We will do everything we can to get somebody there."

 

 

 

Read more: http://www.nottinghampost.com/Appeal...#ixzz3dvO7duBW

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There is an ex-servicemen social club only 10 minutes walk from the Home. There are Rangers and Scotland pics on the walls and there are occasionally Scottish/Burns/St. Andrews nights.

 

So unfortunate that there was no contact.

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Appeal for mourners to attend funeral of 'unknown' soldier

 

By TracyWalker | Posted: June 23, 2015

 

 

An appeal has been launched to urge mourners to attend the funeral of a former soldier who has no known family.

 

Alex McDougall served his country for 30 years - being shot at and almost starving to death on meagre rations.

 

Mr McDougall, who passed away aged 77 on June 8, was "married to the job" and has no known relatives or friends - which has led to an appeal for mourners to attend his funeral.

 

Staff from Beeston Lodge Nursing Home, where he lived for 18 years, are appealing for anyone with a link to Chetwynd Barracks or the military in general to go along to the service, at Bramcote Crematorium at 3.45pm this Friday.

 

And as Mr McDougall was a huge Rangers FC fan - his ashes will be scattered at Ibrox Stadium and he will be buried in a Rangers fleece blanket - they would also like fellow team fans to pay their respects.

 

Anyone else is welcome to help give Mr McDougall a fitting send-off.

 

Aisha Morrell, activities and welfare manager at the home in Beeston Rylands, knew Mr McDougall, a jazz fan, for five years and had grown fond of him.

 

She said: "He has no living family and no friends we are aware of so it is unlikely anyone will be at his funeral. He was very much married to the job.

 

"He served his country, and he was such a nice man. It doesn't seem any way for a send-off."

 

Mr McDougall served with the Army in Scotland as a youngster, but moved to Beeston when he was 21, signing up at Chetwynd Barracks.

 

His parents died in a car crash when he was young.

 

He was a gunner and toured Cyprus and Portugal.

 

Care home staff are looking into the possibility he may have been awarded the British Empire Medal.

 

Ms Morrell said Mr McDougall, a "very proud man" who suffered from dementia and died from cancer, had told her tales of playing pranks on his Army colleagues.

 

She has tried appeals on military pages on social media to no avail.

 

Home manager Bev Hamilton said: "I just feel like he deserves some sort of a send-off. His life was the Army. He was very popular within the home. He didn't have any visitors but when other people came to see their relatives he was always friendly.

 

"I kept him up to-date with the football scores. He was a lovely chap and such a big character."

 

A spokeswoman for Rangers said: "Rangers Football Club is deeply saddened to hear loyal Rangers fan Alex McDougall has passed away. The club will make contact with the local supporters club with regard to the funeral."

 

Former Nottingham Forest centre-forward Kenny Burns, who played for the team from 1977 to 1981, is a life-long Rangers fan.

 

He said: "When Rangers supporters find out about this guy I think good numbers will go along. In a club they are a family."

 

David Thomas, of the Royal Artillery Association Nottingham branch, said: "It's a shame that people like this drop out of the Army family. We will do everything we can to get somebody there."

 

http://www.nottinghampost.com/Appeal-mourners-attend-funeral-unknown-soldier/story-26751812-detail/story.html#ixzz3dvFgsbcB#fyBp6IwhmsQJ1PJk.01

 

One would hope a good number of Bears accompany this man on his last trip to Ibrox.

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