50 Rolexes taken in Gleneagles robbery
An armed raid on a jewellers at Gleneagles Hotel last week netted the robbers watches worth £500,000, police revealed yesterday.
It was confirmed that the raiders threatened staff working in the hotel’s Mappin & Webb store with a weapon which officers believe was a gun.
A sledgehammer was used to smash glass cabinets in the store before the robbers escaped in a dark blue Audi – later found abandoned – with more than 50 Rolex watches.
A veteran of the Normandy landings has been awarded France’s highest honour for his role in helping to liberate the country from German occupation.
Irvine Rae, 93, was originally due to be presented with the National Order of the Legion of Honour (Legion d’honneur) at Edinburgh Castle in January along with nine other men who took part in the D-day landings in France, but was unable to attend due to a broken hip.
However, the French Consulate rearranged a special presentation ceremony for him to receive the honour at Leuchars military base in Fife on Thursday evening.
Emmanuel Cocher, the French consul general in Scotland, presented Mr Rae with the award. Mr Rae, who lives in Tayport, Fife, said: “Despite what I did in France in the Royal Engineers, I still can’t quite understand why I’m getting this – to me it was just normal work in the course of military service for my country.”
Mr Rae was called up in 1942 at the age of 18 and was assigned to the Royal Engineers.
He joined 514 Field Survey Company, 15 Map Reproduction Section.
In the lead-up to Operation Overlord, he was involved in survey planning, map production, organisation and preparation of equipment, and the planning and training for their landing.