Never in all his life could Charles Price prepare for the horror and shock that would come calling on that December night in 1988. One-hundred-eighty Americans perished in the downing of Pan Am Flight 103 and as the US Ambassador to Britain he was thrust into the international spotlight.

Mr Price was in the middle of a six-year tenure as the US envoy based in London. He started his term in 1983 after a brief run as the ambassador to Belgium.

Like most people Mr Price and his family would have been preparing for the festive season. Less than a week before Christmas he could have been forgiven for not anticipating a sudden call to visit a remote locale in southern Scotland. But there he was.

The US ambassador became a lynchpin between Lockerbie and his ultimate boss, President Ronald Reagan. As the first official US representative to reach the town, Mr Price delivered back to America the grim details of the crash scene.

Less than 24 hours after the jumbo jet slammed to the ground, Mr Price was questioned on the devastation and on what might have happened to make the passenger plane to fall from the sky.

He was interviewed by reporter Geoff Brown in the town centre. The stunned look on the ambassador's face appeared to speak more than the actual words coming from his mouth.

Mr Price would end his ambassadorship a year after Lockerbie. He went on to hold prominent positions at two US banks before joining the board of directors for different businesses – including, ironically, an airline, British Airways.

Like many others, however, he will always be remembered for his link to a small Scottish town on a chilly December day – some 20 years ago.