PEEBLES war veteran John McOwan turned 100 last month – and now it has been revealed the whopping number of birthday cards he received.

Mr McOwan, of Peebles, notched the century on February 6, when the bells of Peebles Old Parish Church rang out in his honour.

And it has now been revealed that Mr McOwan received 244 birthday cards after "folks came together" to help him celebrate the occasion.

Mr McOwan’s carer, Marjory Kennedy, said: “He had an absolutely wonderful day and this will be etched on his memory for all time (and mine)!

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“Folks came together when the call went up and put a lot of work and thought into his cards and gifts.

“The final tally for cards was 244.”

Ms Kennedy added that it was “truly a very memorable occasion”.

When the Second World War began in 1939, Mr McOwan was 18 years old and he was immediately called up for service.

After the war, he returned to Peebles to work full-time in his family’s jeweller’s shop.

The grandfather of three and great-grandfather of four was among the veterans who returned to the beaches of Normandy in 2019 for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.