A small band of Scottish veterans are preparing to mark the 70th anniversary of one of the turning points of the Second World War.
The Second Battle of El Alamein began in the Egyptian desert on October 23, 1942, when Britain's Eighth Army attacked Germany's Afrika Corps.
Under the command of Montgomery, the Allies were trying to prevent the Axis forces from taking Egypt, cutting the vital supply route of the Suez Canal and gaining access to the oilfields of the Middle East.
The battle began with an fearsome artillery barrage from the Allied lines.
One of those taking part was John Lang, now a 91-year-old grandfather living in Elgin, then a captain with the Royal Artillery.
Mr Lang said: "We fired 600 rounds a gun on that first night. The important thing from the artillery point of view is to make sure your stuff hits the enemy, not your own. I've been hit by friendly fire during an exercise and it's not funny."
Behind the Artillery, came the infantry. On November 1, Corporal James Younie went forward with the 5th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders, part of the famous 51st Highland Division. It was the first time he and most of his comrades had gone into combat.
Now a sprightly 93-year-old great grandfather from Rosyth in Fife, he still remembers the shock of going into battle.
He said: "We had 978 men when we left Britain. On that night we went into action, we lost, believe it or not, 12 officers and 165 men, in six hours of fighting. Some of them were wounded but most of them killed. Any battle is hell on earth. It's the right way to describe it. Any battle is hell on earth."
After 13 days of fierce fighting, the Afrika Korps retreated. The Germans and Italians lost 25,000 men killed or wounded; the Allies 13,000.
It was one of the most decisive victories of the Second World War, boosting Allied morale and leading in May 1943 to Germany's surrender in North Africa.
Mr Younie said that they did not realise that at the time. "We were grieving for the men that had been killed. There was no celebration whatsoever. We were pleased we had won the battle, but that was it."
