'Princess' Isobel celebrates 100th birthday in Kingussie
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It was a right royal day in Kingussie on Tuesday as the Badenoch capital celebrated a truly special centenarian – with the help of King Charles III.
His Majesty's birthday card was hand-delivered by the man who had just left the Princess Royal in Inverness, at the opening of a new UHI life sciences facility.
Douglas Young, Vice-Lord Lieutenant of Inverness, told the gathering at the Wade Centre he was honoured to meet his second princess of the day: "It's wonderful to meet you and your many friends. I will now offer you this, on behalf of His Majesty the King..."
Mr Young handed over an envelope which the birthday girl's son, John, opened for her.
He shook first the card, then his head: "Hmm...no money inside it!"
But as the Vice-Lord Lieutenant had pointed out, Mrs Harling had already received more than riches for her selfless community service over a long and eventful life.
Her 70-year tending of Kingussie's 'Indian Graves' had been recognised by Queen Elizabeth II with the bestowing of a British Empire Medal several years ago.
Mrs Harling nodded her delight on receiving the royal greetings card at her birthday party and sipped a little champagne with her family and friends.
There were video messages, too, from Colourful Heritage in Glasgow, which remains indebted to their friend in the Highlands who never forgot the sacrifices made by the Indian Army men stationed in Badenoch during that bitter winter in the Second World War, who died while training in their fight for freedom from the Axis powers' aggression.
Mrs Harling, herself an ex-Wren, had helped run the local British Legion Scotland branch and took her duties to heart, realising that the Indian soldiers had no family here to tend their graves in the old Kingussie Cemetery.
"Anyone would have done it," she said modestly, when Colourful Heritage praised her for her commitment and kindness over all those years.
A wonderful life:
Isobel Harling (nee Macpherson), born on April 18 1923 in Boa Vista Road, Kingussie, spent her early life in the town then moved with her parents to Glasgow then to Dalwhinnie ,where her father worked with the Post Office as a postman, and finally to Garraline Terrace in Kingussie. She was employed by a number of businesses in the town over the years and also ran her own ladies’ clothes shop in High Street, where Country Harvest is today.
At the start of World War II she volunteered for the WRENS and moved to London, then to Invergordon where she was an ambulance driver dealing with collecting remains of servicemen.
Isobel had many years of involvement with the British Legion and of tending graves in the New Cemetery, Kingussie where Indian Army servicemen and civilian war workers are buried. Her dedication was rewarded at a presentation by Col. Singh of New Delhi during one of his visits to Kingussie.
Mrs Harling was also a founder member of the Abbeyfield Society in Kingussie and a member of Kingussie Community Council for 12 years until 1993.
