Widow Leaves £3 Million To Ex-Servicemen’s Hospital
An elderly widow showed her gratitude to a hospital which treated her husband by leaving it £3 million in her will, it emerged today.
Abigail McCallum, 90, gifted the huge sum to Erskine, the charity which cares for ex-servicemen and women.
Charity bosses were delighted at the donation, which is the largest legacy Erskine has ever received.
It is the second time in recent months that an elderly woman has left a major bequest to charity.
Sheila Mair, 88, who lived near Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, left £4 million to charities including Erskine when she died.
Mrs McCallum, who lived near Largs, Ayrshire, died last year but details of her will have only just emerged.
She left a total of £4m, with £3m going to Erskine, while £1m was left to other charities.
It is understood Mrs McCallum wanted to give something back to Erskine, which cared for her husband and two of his bosses after the Second World War.
She met her future husband Alastair McCallum after the war while working as his secretary at the whisky firm Ross and Coulter.
The pair married, but had no children.
It is thought Mr McCallum spent much of the Second World War as a prisoner of war, and he received some treatment at Erskine after the war.
Erskine’s Chief Executive Colonel Martin Gibson said they were delighted to receive the donation.
He said: “Every year Erskine cares for over 1300 veterans young and old throughout Scotland, and without the support of people like Mrs McCallum we would not be able to offer the care that our ex-Service men and women so richly deserve.
“Leaving Erskine a gift in your will is one of the best ways in which you can show your support for the men and women who have served their country with bravery and courage.
“This is the largest legacy we have ever received, and it could not have come at a more poignant time as young Scottish men and women are putting their lives on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
The youngest veteran at Erskine is 23 and the oldest is 100.
