World leaders, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown, flocked to the German capital for this week’s anniversary celebrations which marked the demolition of the wall in November, 1989.

Here in the Borders, the anniversary events were being closely watched on television by Melrose financial adviser Douglas Hardie, who was one of the first British citrizens to cross freely into East Berlin as the wall was torn down.

Douglas recalled the events of November, 1989, when he arrived in West Berlin on business as a financial services consultant for the Trustee Savings Bank.

“Memories of our trip to West Berlin are perfectly vivid. I don’t think I will ever forget it,” he told TheSouthern.

“As we flew into Berlin on the Friday, the pilot told us over the intercom that the wall was coming down. I was with a couple of colleagues and we were on bank business.”

Almost as soon as Douglas and his colleagues had checked into their hotel, the group were whisked off to witness the scenes at a section of the wall between the Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie, where large crowds of people had gathered on both sides of the edifice.

Douglas said: “There was an incredible atmosphere. People were breaking off bits of the wall with their bare hands.

“There was a young German couple who had brought some rudimentary tools with them, but were only really just tickling the concrete. So we suggested that with their brains – for thinking to bring tools in the first place – and our brawn, we might get somewhere.

“So we took the tools and started bashing away at the wall and a big slab fell off. All the crowd round about were cheering us on.”

It was the start of two days of sharing the euphoria with reunited Berliners – including Douglas dancing on top of the wall in his kilt.

The next day, he and his fellow businessmen made history when they became the first UK nationals to cross freely into East Berlin through Checkpoint Charlie.

“We walked down about 150 yards into East Berlin to a 1960s-style café and sat down at a free table. People, mainly younger folk, crowded round us looking for something tangible from the west.

“We managed to dig up some British Airways boarding passes, plus some pound notes, which we gave them. I think we were popular because we still had our kilts on.”

Douglas, who has never been back to the German capital since his historic visit, says he and the others with him were conscious they were witnessing history being made.

He mused: “Absolutely, we were very aware. But just how momentous and what it would lead to, probably not.”

On his return home, Douglas distributed his souvenir pieces of the wall, with one raising £1,000 for that year’s BBC Children in Need appeal.

“Even my sister-in-law in Australia ended up with a piece. There’s bits of the lump I brought back all over the place now!”