LOCAL Legion President Alistair Kennedy is calling on Three Towners to support a petition calling for immunity for soldiers who served in Northern Ireland.

It comes after he spoke at a national conference and called for the Royal British Legion to write to Prime Minister Theresa May about the issue.

He said in a statement to the Herald: “I would like to announce to Ayrshire members of the public about the plight of the North Ireland veterans.

“I spoke several weeks ago at the national conference of the Royal British Legion Scotland in Perth about veterans that served there from the 1960s onwards.

“A colonel from the Ministry of Defence came and spoke about the situation and gave us a very detailed report for which he was well received.

“I was then invited to air my deep concerns about the situation. Last year I asked the RBLS to write to the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Defence to let them know we as veterans stand by these veterans and also asked why did Prime Minister Tony Blair give letters of comfort to IRA personnel that they will never be prosecuted and that very week, Soldier A, a 77-year-old Chelsea Pensioner and Soldier B, a 79-year-old ex-RSM, were being taken over to Northern Ireland for investigations.”

Alastair is asking people in the local area to support a petition, which has over 40,000 signatures.

He added: “There are 56 inquests against us and over 450 investigations brought by the coroner’s court and the PSNI. This is a national disgrace and there is a petition (petition.parliament.uk/petitions/219576).

“Please sign, we need 100,000 signatures. Please keep these men and women safe, we were only doing our duty and we were sent there by the government. Why are they being prosecuted at over 70 years old?”