AFTER working for the good of his community for decades, George Campbell was presented with the British Empire Medal in 1992.
The medal was presented in recognition of Mr Campbell's dedication towards community projects. He led the way in creating
a memorial to Scottish soldiers who took part in the 1303 Battle of Roslin, and reopening a right of way along the village's riverbank.
Born in Meigle, Perthshire, Mr Campbell worked in what would now be called the telecommunications industry, but was then known as Post Office Telephones.
Early in his career he was sent to the Borders, where he met future wife Jean, and the couple went on to have two sons and a daughter.
The family moved to Roslin in 1948 and Mr Campbell stayed in the same line of work until 1972 – after 48 years of employment. He then spent his retirement dedicated to serving his community.
He was particularly active as a member of Roslin Church, more commonly known as Rosslyn Chapel, where he spent 27 years as an elder and seven years as a session clerk.
He served on the Gala Day committee and was also one of the founding members of the Roslin Heritage Society in the early 1970s. Back then it was known as the Roslin Amenity Society and its main goal was, and remains, maintaining and improving the local environment.
A keen volunteer for local good causes, he once led the reopening of a right of way along the river banks from Roslin to Polton. The clear-up job also included rebuilding Jacob's Ladder, a large flight of stairs in Roslin Glen, using recycled concrete.
Mr Campbell and the Roslin Heritage Society were rewarded for their work when the society was awarded top prize in the Shell Better Britain awards in 1991. He was at the awards to accept a £1000 cheque on behalf of the society, before receiving the BEM the following year.
His passion for local history soon led to him taking on another major project. He and his friend Fred Carle found there was no memorial for the 1303 Battle of Roslin in which a large English army succumbed to a small legion of Scots.
The pair researched the history of the battle and pinpointed a place for a memorial at Dryden-Mountmarle Farm, close to the battlefield. They secured permission to use the site and eventually a sandstone cairn, built by Bobby Lang and John Dignan, was unveiled by Captain George Burnet, LVO, Lord Lieutenant of Midlothian, in 1994.
Mr Campbell's enthusiasm and passion for his local community and environment inspired those around him, with his early efforts for a greener environment now paying dividends with more footpaths created around the area.
He died on March 25 and his funeral took place at Roslin Kirk on April 1.
The full article contains 494 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
