Branch pays tribute to ‘Mr British Legion’

A stalwart member of Whitehead branch of the Royal British Legion was in the thoughts of colleagues at their recent annual general meeting.
Sandy McGregor: 1920 - 2014.Sandy McGregor: 1920 - 2014.
Sandy McGregor: 1920 - 2014.

Hector Alexander Stewart (Sandy) McGregor died earlier this year. At the AGM, current chairman, Bill Dornan, referred to Sandy as ‘Mr British Legion’.

Newly-elected president, Isobel Day said that Sandy had been an inspiration to members and that he would be sorely missed not just for his encyclopaedic knowledge of the legion and his willingness to share it, but for his warm and generous personality.

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Born January 3, 1920 in the small community of Auchterhouse in Forfar in Scotland, Sanday was the son of Mr Hector and Mrs Stewart McGregor. By the time he reached school age the family had moved to Crawford Priory near Cupar.

In November 1939 Sandy joined the Royal Air Force as a radar/radio mechanic and on finishing his training was posted to Chain Home Low radar station at Glenarm. The day after his arrival he met his future wife Elsie who, along with her sister, was running the Seaview Hotel in Carnlough. Their relationship blossomed and they were married in Carnmoney Presbyterian Church in 1942.

Sandy rose to the rank of flight sergeant and on January 1 1943 was mentioned in despatches for his distinguished service. In the spring of that year he was commissioned and as a flying officer served at several radar stations in England. In January 1945 he was sent to Rheims in France with a mobile radio communication unit to replace all lines of communication which the Germans had destroyed as they retreated.

De-mobbed in 1946, Sandy, Elsie and their daughter Patricia came back to Northern Ireland where their two sons Robert Hilton Stewart and Brian Crawford were born. In 1972 they bought the ‘Corner Shop’ in Whitehead and turned it into a hardware shop in 1973, where Sandy worked until he retired in 1987.

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1973 was also the year Sandy joined Whitehead RBL where he was very active until his death. He was Poppy Appeal organiser for 28 years, secretary and chairman both for 11 years and president for 10 years. He received Poppy Appeal badges and certificates of merit after 25 years’ service and in 2004 was awarded the Royal British Legion Gold Badge.

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