THE sister of a Glasgow soldier killed during a forgotten war has been presented with a special award.

The ceremony in the City Chambers was held 60 years to the day a telegram boy knocked at the door of the family's home in Maryhill to deliver the dreadful news.

Private Matthew Neely, 19, died on October 23, 1956 while on active service during the four year Cyprus Emergency.

He served with the Highland Light Infantry and had been deployed to Cyprus as part of the peace keeping force.

During an off-duty game of football he approached a water fountain and was killed instantly by a bomb. Two of his comrades were injured and later died of their wounds.

To mark the tragedy, Glasgow's Deputy Lord Lieutenant Jean McFadden presented his sister Margaret Moncur, 75, from Crow Road with the Elizabeth Cross.

It was created to provide national recognition for the families of Armed Forces personnel who have died on operations or as the result of terrorism.

It is not a posthumous medal for the fallen but an emblem demonstrating national recognition for service families for their loss.

Mrs Moncur remembered how Matt and his brother Ollie loved football and would go to watch Partick Thistle games and recalled how her brother's death devastated her mother.

She said: "He was her blue-eyed boy. Full of fun, always kidding with her. She never recovered as he was her pride and joy.

"It was round 7am on Monday October 24, the day after Matt's death when the telegram boy came.

"My sister Nan and brother were having porridge and my mum was up at the bakery busying morning rolls.

"Bill opened the letter and he screamed to Nan 'Matt's been killed'.

"My mother heard people saying look at the state of that boy because he had run up barefoot only in his trousers. She fainted and was never the same."

Mrs Moncur, who is Matt's only surviving sibling, added: "People don't know about the Cyprus Emergency. It was the forgotten war.

"I remember my dad went to the Highland Light Infantry HQ in Sauchiehall Street and said he wanted my brother brought home.

"He was told because he was non-commissioned they couldn't do anything but families and businesses helped us to raise the money to bring him home."

Private Neely was buried at Glasgow's Western Necropolis in December 1956.