Highland war hero immortalised on stamp commemorating VE Day

A Highland war hero has been honoured with a postage stamp in his memory.

The stamps celebrate the courage shown by legendary commando Sir Tommy Macpherson and form part of events marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

The Nazis allegedly referred to Macpherson as “The kilted killer” during the Second World War.

Dropped by submarine in North Africa, he sabotaged enemy positions before being caught and escaping back to Britain – then being parachuted into central France to join the resistance.

The Germans offered a 300,000 Franc reward for his recapture.

Speaking to STV News [then Grampian] in 2009, Sir Tommy echoed what so many from the WWII era have said in the past – that he was simply “doing a job”.

Sir Tommy was one of the most decorated British soldiers of the conflict.

As part of a special operations unit, he helped delay the advance of the infamous SS Panzer Division.

He later persuaded 23,000 Wehrmacht troops to surrender, conning them into believing that his entire brigade was nearby.

Sir Tommy was awarded France’s highest honour of the Legion d’Honneur and was knighted in 1992.

Relatives joined a Royal Mail reception last week where Sir Tommy and other war heroes were honoured with their faces embossed on anniversary stamps.

His widow Lady Jean Macpherson said: “I think he would have been very proud of it. I think they’ve done a really marvellous job.”

Also speaking at the Clan Macpherson Museum, in the family’s hometown of Newtonmore, Sir Tommy’s son Angus said: “It’s really humbling – not only the fact that my father did these remarkable things but actually to meet all the other people who are on the stamps and to meet their descendants.”

Tommy died in 2014 at the age of 94.

Lady Jean said it was since then, in quieter times, that she had reflected on his heroism.

“Time didn’t allow the thought. But once it was all over, then I realised he’d really managed to achieve quite a lot in his years,” she said.