THE BIG GRIN

ahead A special gift of her 104th birthday for Rene the hairdresser

- BY ANN FOTHERINGHAM

BILLY Connolly's 103-yearold's aunt has been awarded a medal for her time in the RAF during World War II.

Rene MacLean, who joined in 1942 and served in the Middle East, was awarded the General Service Medal by Glasgow's Lord Provost days ahead of her 104th birthday.

The veteran said: "It was quite a surprise. It is lovely to receive it, I wasn't expecting it at all." Rene, who was born in 1922, is also the aunt of Scots comedy legend Billy Connolly, 83, as her late husband Neil is the sister of Mamie, the Big Yin's mother.

Rene keeps a photo album in her Baillieston home with a mixture of memories. Rene's daughter Verena recalled: "The families did get together often when we were younger." After growing up in Cardigan in Wales, Rene joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in June 1942, eager to contribute to the war effort.