LONG-serving Bournemouth and Christchurch councillor and Second World War veteran Edward ‘Ted’ Ruston died on December 30, aged 99.

Born in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, on August 1, 1915, Mr Ruston served in the Royal Artillery and, following the Battle of the Scheldt, took part in the rescue of thousands of concentration camp inmates at Neustadt in 1945.

Nazi soldiers had been loading the prisoners onto boats at the nearby U-boat training centre and were supposedly sinking them out at sea. Many were shot on the shore.

The incident had a great impact on him, and some three decades later, when Russian Jews were prohibited from leaving for Israel, he wrote to the Soviet government imploring them to reconsider.

In the 1990s he met with a former camp inmate who expressed her gratitude to him for the liberation, and for witnessing what had happened.

In 1945 Major Ruston was awarded the Military Cross for his actions during the crossing of the Rhine, bringing down accurate fire in support of No.1 Commando, which was assaulting Wesel.

He remained in the Army until 1958, taking in postings in Hong Kong and Cyprus.

After his military career ended, Major Ruston settled with his wife Cathy – they married in 1944 – in Kent, where they started a toy business.

Later he worked as a civil engineer for John Laing Construction until the late 1970s.

He served as a councillor in Bournemouth and Christchurch for more than 24 years, standing as both an official Conservative candidate and a conservative independent for Dorset County Council, Bournemouth Town Council and then in 1987 Christchurch Borough Council.

His threat to stand as an independent against the Tory candidate in the 1970s caused great consternation at the time, although he was soon welcomed back into the fold.

He criticised the design of the Bournemouth International Centre when it was proposed in 1981 as “unsuitable for the site” and strongly backed plans to develop the area around Bournemouth Airport in order to create more jobs.

Major Ruston was often critical of environmental conservation schemes, which he believed were imposed by people not resident in the area who were unaware of more important issues, such as the need for a Christchurch bypass.

He was a governor at Christchurch County infants and junior schools, and was also on the Dorset War Pensions Committee for more than 15 years.

In 1994 the Rustons moved to Australia to be closer to family members. He is survived by a son and two daughters.

A funeral service will be held in Australia.