Barry Delaney, 25, arrived at his best friend’s funeral wearing a tight-fitting green dress and pink knee-high socks. At first glance, the image might seem strange, but behind it was a promise they had made years earlier.
Three years earlier, Barry and Kevin Elliott had agreed that if one of them died in combat, the other would attend his funeral wearing a dress. And the more eye-catching, the better.
Kevin, 24, was a soldier in the Black Watch and died on August 31, 2009, during a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan.
To keep his promise, Barry bought a green dress at Primark for about US$8 and pink socks for approximately US$1,50. Before leaving, he even had a glass of vodka, both of their favorite drink.
Around 1.000 people gathered outside the church in Dundee. Many looked at his outfit, but almost everyone knew the story behind it.
The most painful moment came during the burial. Barry broke down beside the grave and remembered crouching down to ask Kevin whether he liked the color of the dress.
Then he realized that his friend would never be able to answer him.
More than an extravagant way of dressing, that dress ended up becoming the final tribute from a friend who decided to keep his word to the very end.