It was a poignant occasion 50 years ago today, when the giants of Celtic came to Fraserburgh to pay their respects to lifeboat heroes.
Three months earlier, on January 21, the port’s Duchess of Kent lifeboat overturned in a freak wave while aiding a Danish fishing vessel to safety.
It resulted in the loss of five men and has had a lasting impact on both the families affected and the character of the town itself.
When news of the tragedy travelled south, legendary football manager Jock Stein was determined to honour the men.
He brought with him a Celtic side littered with stars, including Billy McNeill, Jimmy Johnstone, Bobby Lennox, and Bobby Murdoch.
A mere eight days before Celtic travelled to Milan’s San Siro to take on Feyenoord in the European Cup final, they were strutting their stuff at a breezy Bellslea Park.
And despite the freezing, gale-force winds that welcomed them that day, 6,500 people attended the game to raise £2,000 for the disaster fund.
Speaking after the match, which Celtic won 7-0, Jock described the men of the RNLI as “heroes”.
He and his side also met and spoke with the families of the men who died.
Today, yearly memorials are still observed for the tragedy.
And in January this year, it was revealed that both sides have once again agreed to replay the 1970.
The date of the replay has yet to be finalised, however.
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell said: “Clearly we have a very close connection to the tragic events of 1970, with Jock Stein and the club ensuring in 1970 that the local disaster fund was supported.
“We know for many in the local area that these events will still cause hurt and pain even after 50 years.
“However, after discussions with Fraserburgh FC we felt that once again we should mark this anniversary year, come together and pay our respects to those who were lost and their families.”
The five men who lost their lives that day were Coxswain John Stephen, Mechanic Frederick Kirkness and crew members William Hadden, James R.S. Buchan and James Buchan.
A sixth man, Assistant Mechanic John (Jackson) Buchan, was flung clear and saved by a nearby Russian trawler.
How we reported the Fraserburgh lifeboat disaster in 1970
The lone survivor from the Fraserburgh lifeboat Duchess of Kent, the bodies of four of his comrades and the lifeboat itself were due to be landed early today at Buckie.
A Defence Ministry statement in London early today said the survivor – 44-year-old John (Jackson) Buchan – would be transferred from the British anti-submarine frigate Londonderry to Buckie lifeboat.
The bodies of the other crewmen would also be put on board the Buckie lifeboat and landed at the Banffshire port. There was still no sign of the Fraserburgh boat’s sixth crewman.
Earlier, wild seas had frustrated efforts to transfer Mr Buchan from the Russian fishing vessel Logga to the Londonderry.
An ashen-faced Mr John Jackson Buchan – sole survivor of the ill-fated Fraserburgh lifeboat Duchess of Kent – speaking in a voice hardly audible at times, last night relived the last moments of the boat before she capsized.
And when asked if he would volunteer for service on a future lifeboat to be stationed at Fraserburgh, he replied: “That is something I will have to think about when this ordeal is over.”
But at his home at 31 Glenbuchty Place, Fraserburgh, where she was reunited with her husband earlier yesterday, Mrs Stella Buchan told The Press and Journal: “Although I would not like to go through this again, I will not stop my husband if he wants to go out again on a lifeboat.”