ALEX McDougall's funeral takes place tomorrow.

That mere fact seems to have made this old soldier slightly more famous in death than he was in life.

Alex died in a Nottinghamshire nursing home. He had no living family members, or any friends. Not did he get visitors, but at least he was friendly with people who came to see their own relatives.

Thanks to the home, Rangers FC (of whom he was a lifelong fan) and the Nottingham branch of the Royal Artillery Association are now both aware of the funeral, and so it may be attended by more people than would otherwise have been the case. He was very popular within the home, so he didn't want for human contact. But it is sad to think that there might have been no-one to pay their last respects to this old man who had served his country with pride and distinction,

There is a wider issue here: the loneliness faced by large numbers of elderly people. In a speech in 2013, UK health secretary Jeremy Hunt spoke of a "forgotten million" older people who are left lonely and without regular social contact. It was, he added, Britain's "national shame". The work of determined projects such as The Campaign to End Loneliness, which aims to tackle loneliness in later life, surely deserves further recognition.