She suffered a horrific loss when her grandson was killed in Afghanistan at the age of just 24.
Joan Humphreys was devastated when Kevin Elliott was killed by insurgents while on foot patrol with the Black Watch in Helmand Province in August 2009.
But, rather than allowing herself to be swept away with grief, she refused to blame the Afghan people for Kevin’s death – instead using her pain to campaign vocally against the conflict which she blasted as an “immoral war”.
Retired book-keeper Joan, 76, from Dundee, said: “I was so angry when it happened – I thought why did Kevin have to die?
“It will be a bittersweet feeling when the troops come back for good. At least no-one else will have to die there.
“We should never have been there in the first place. He would have been 36 this year, he was 24 when he was killed.
“It has been quite difficult sometimes since he died.
“Iraq gets spoken about a lot but a lot more soldiers died in Afghanistan. It was an immoral war. It is in danger of being forgotten once Britain and America pulls out.”
‘The Army was his second family’
Kevin, a former pupil of Braeview Academy, Dundee, was killed on Monday, August 31, 2009, while patrolling in Babaji district, Helmand, during a rocket propelled grenade attack.
There were tears, laughter and applause as hundreds lined Dundee’s streets as he was laid to rest with full military honours.
His comrades in arms carried his Saltire-draped coffin into the city’s St Mary’s church. His heartbroken sister Kirsty, 22, wore the Elizabeth Cross presented earlier to her family.
Young relatives donned T-shirts emblazoned with a picture of Kevin and one word: Hero.
I can’t remember being anything but proud of him. He will leave a great big hole in a lot of lives.”
His dad Sandy led the tributes, saying: “Kevin has been described to me as lovable, cheeky, a smart ass, serious, a ladies’ man, a hero and others I can’t repeat here.
“I can’t remember being anything but proud of him. He will leave a great big hole in a lot of lives.”
Sandy also told how his son almost walked out on the Black Watch just months before he was killed. Sandy added: “But The Army was his second family. He could not leave his mates.”
Pals recalled Kevin’s cheeky, roguish nature.
One told how Kevin was ordered to get rid of beer for a room inspection – and promptly downed it instead of putting it in the bin.
Another recalled his tuneless singing to Sonny and Cher hit I Got You, Babe.
There was spontaneous applause from mourners as the hero’s hearse made its way to the cemetery, where a firing party gave a final salute of honour with three gunshots into the air.
One of his best pals wept uncontrollably at his graveside in a bright-yellow dress – to honour a pact with his friend.
Barry Delaney, 25, and Kevin agreed to wear girls’ clothes to brighten up the other’s funeral if one of them died.
A pal said: “Kevin’s family knew about it and agreed it was OK.”
‘I don’t blame the Afghan people for Kevin’s death’
Just months after Kevin’s death, Joan slammed the war as she revealed she was joining the Scottish Socialist Party.
At the time, she said: “Having toyed with the idea of joining the SSP for some time, it is their strong anti-war stance, especially against the immoral Afghanistan invasion by the US-led coalition, plus the realisation that the views held by the SSP on anti-racism, women and children’s rights, public ownership and fighting poverty ran parallel to mine.”
In recent months in Afghanistan, there have been alarming advances by Taliban insurgents across northern and southern provinces as coalition troops prepared to leave.
There have been claims that more than 100 of the country’s 419 districts have fallen since May, leading US intelligence agencies to predict the fall of the Kabul government within six months.
The advances, which have seen UK and US-trained Afghan forces surrender without a fight, have resulted in the capture of more than 700 trucks and US Humvees in June alone – allowing the Taliban to cover more ground and helping transport mortars and heavy machine guns.
Howitzer artillery guns have also been captured, as well as M113 armoured personnel carriers, and 27 M1117 armoured cars armed with machine guns and Mark 19 automatic grenade launchers.
Who knows how it will end up? I think it could get a lot worse with Isis and other groups turning up there in Afghanistan.”
Speaking now, Joan said: “A huge amount of Afghans died and that gets overlooked too. We have caused that country years of misery.
“On Kevin’s anniversary we meet up and chat about him and remember him that way. I used to go to the cemetery but not so much now.
“I don’t have any time for November 11 and official Remembrance events. They are too jingoistic. In wars everyone suffered.
“When I see these Remembrance things, I think what about the Germans or the Vietnamese or in this case, the Afghans? They all suffered too.
“I don’t blame the Afghan people for Kevin’s death. If someone came here to this country and attacked us, what we would do?
“Who knows how it will end up? I think it could get a lot worse with Isis and other groups turning up there in Afghanistan.”
Scotland’s Forgotten War
Scotland’s Forgotten War is an in-depth investigation into one of the country’s longest running conflicts – the campaign in Afghanistan – and how it forever changed our local families and communities.
From Dundee, Angus and Fife to Aberdeen, Inverness and the Highlands, the combat thousands of miles away in Afghanistan has cast a long shadow over people’s lives in the last 20 years.
The Impact team
- Words by Stephen Stewart
- Design by Cheryl Livingstone
- Graphics by Roddie Reid
- Data visualisations by Lesley-Anne Kelly
- Photographs, video and audio by Jason Hedges, Mhairi Edwards, Drew Farrell, Blair Dingwall and Morven McIntyre.