A DUNFERMLINE councillor has been raising awareness of a local hero.

Cllr Gordon Pryde marked the 138th anniversary of the death of a 17-year-old who drowned in Townhill Loch whilst attempting to save a young boy.

According to The Carnegie Hero Fund Trust website, William Hunter was leaving church on July 25, 1886, when he heard shouts for help from two men who had found a young boy having difficulty in Town Loch after becoming stuck in weeds.

William swam into the loch but disappeared under the water after experiencing cramp. The young boy was rescued, and William’s body was recovered.

As a result of his selflessness, a fund was created to erect a memorial to him. Andrew Carnegie added £100 to the appeal.

Then in 1908, the Carnegie Hero Fund Trust UK was established.

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Cllr Pryde commented: “He was an inspiration to Andrew Carnegie.

“I couldn’t possibly say that was the reason he set up the Hero Fund, but it was something that inspired him locally and there’s that memorial in Dunfermline Cemetery.

“It’s in very good condition, it was obviously funded by the Carnegie Trust so it’s in good condition.

“A couple of years ago they cleaned it up and everything, you can see Carnegie’s comment on it about William Hunter."

The comment states: “The false heroes of barbarous man are those who can only boast of the destruction of their fellows. The true heroes of civilisation are those alone who save or greatly serve them.

“Young Hunter was one of those and deserves an enduring monument.”

Cllr Pryde summed the story up: “A lad from Townhill that was a great inspiration to Carnegie, and he gave his life in a heroic act. It’s something to be recognised.”