The last surviving Scot to serve in the Spanish Civil War has been speaking after he returned to Glasgow to take part in the re-dedication of the city's refurbished memorial to the international brigades that took part in the war. 

Thomas Watters, 97, is a veteran of the Scottish Ambulance Unit, which worked at the front line on the battlefields of Spain to aid wounded fighters and volunteers from across the world.

The statue of La Pasionara was re-dedicated in a ceremony following £10,000 worth of restoration.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Watters said the event was: "Very important, it was a dedication to La Pasionaria and also to remember what the International Brigade did and how they suffered, and particularly they didn't go out as a body of men, they weren't fighting men, they were individuals and they felt so terrible about the spread of Fascism they had to do something privately themselves.

"They went out there, in ones and twos, out there to Spain, and the whole body had to be formed from all sorts of nationalities and languages and it was a huge job but in the end they became very effective. By the time that I met them in a big way- I was with the Scottish Ambulance unit- was in the battle of Jarama which was very important to both sides and the casualties were very, very heavy and a great cost, but they held and they were very effective."

For many the motivation for joining the International brigade was political ideology, but for Mr Watters it was an urge to help his fellow man in times of distress. He explained: "I had no interest in politics myself, but from the age of 16-21 my whole interest outside of work was first aid and I studied under the British Red Cross for five years.

"When I was in Glasgow driving the buses for the Glasgow Corporation there was an appeal for volunteers to go out to Spain so I went out because there was an opportunity straight away, and the Corporation gave me unlimited freedom to go out and kept my job open for two years."

As for how his experiences in the Spanish Civil War affected his later life, he explained: "I think it gave me an appreciation of the good things we've got now. That's one of the things you must do in life, appreciate what you have when you've got it, anybody can appreciate it once you've lost it, but it's a bit late then. But if you can appreciate things, no matter what it is, your friends, your relatives, the people you love, your job you've got, your good health, anything at all, if you can appreciate it while you can, you will get the most out of life.

"I think I've had a better sense of the value of things after what went on out there, I really do."