A woman who survived the horrors of Auschwitz and married the Scottish soldier who rescued her has died aged 92.

Edith 'Eci' Mackay died on June 26 after a bout of pneumonia. Her family and husband of more than 70 years, World War II veteran John, were by her side in Dundee.

The couple had captured the hearts of the nation after celebrating their 71st Valentine's Day together earlier this year.

Edith and John Mackay captured the hearts of the nation when they celebrated their 71st Valentines Day together this year

Mrs Mackay met her husband when he rescued her as she was being marched to from Auschwitz to another concentration camp in the closing months of the Second World War. The couple are pictured aged 20 and 23 in 1944

Mrs Mackay was born Edith Steiner in the Székesfehérvár region of Hungary.

During the Second World War she survived six weeks in the barbaric Auschwitz concentration camp but tragically lost 39 members of her family during the holocaust.

Mrs Mackay met John, 96, after he helped rescue a column of Jewish prisoners from their Nazi guards in the closing months of the Second World War.

She was being marched from Auschwitz to another concentration camp when the group of Hungarian Jews were rescued by British soldiers.

Later the couple got to know each other at dance organised by troops at a village hall.

They moved back to the UK after the war ended and lived in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Gleneagles and Pitlochry and had two children, Sharon and Peter, after marrying on July 17, 1946.

They still referred to each other as 'sweetheart' every day.

Later the couple got to know each other at dance organised by troops at a village hall

They moved back to the UK after the war ended and lived in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Gleneagles and Pitlochry and had two children, Sharon and Peter, after marrying on July 17, 1946. The family is pictured together

Speaking about her mother, Sharon said: 'My mum was an extremely private person, very, very kind and quiet.

'Mum was just mum. 'She was a seamstress in her youth. She was very quiet, very reserved, very kind and very family orientated.'

According to their daughter, her father is 'lost' without his beloved wife by his side.

According to their devoted daughter, her father is 'lost' without his beloved wife by his side

She continued: 'He is absolutely lost. Thankfully they got to spend the last year together. He cared for her.'

Sharon added that her mother never spoke of her time in Auschwitz.

'I think she had PTSD and really struggled. She really had a lot of nightmares,' she said.

'It was 39 members of their immediate family they lost (during the holocaust), aunties and uncles.'

Mrs Mackay and her mother survived the horrors of the camp and were being marched by the Nazis to another camp further from the rapidly-advancing Allied armies.

Weak through lack of food and vulnerable to disease, the pair also faced the ever-present threat of summary execution.

Their chances of surviving to the end of the war were slim.

But Mr Mackay and his unit ran into the column and took care of the prisoners.

Mr Mackay, whose own wartime exploits included escaping from an Italian prisoner of war camp, spotted his future at the dance but was too shy to approach her.

During the Second World War Mrs Mackay survived six weeks in the barbaric Auschwitz concentration camp but tragically lost 39 members of her family during the holocaust

He sent a over a friend to ask her if she would dance with him, but Mrs Mackay insisted that if he wanted a dance them he must ask her himself.

As well as their two children, the couple have seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Vera Scimgeour, deputy manager at the Balcarres Care Home where the couple live said: 'Sadly she passed away last week. It was natural causes.

'All her family was with her, John was with her as well. It was sad for them. 'He just totally doted on her and she doted on him, it was so sad.'