The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Tribute to ‘Forgotten 51st’
War: Pipers urged to join in with memorial
Pipers are being urged to join in playing a tribute to thousands of Scots who were killed or captured during “the forgotten Dunkirk” 80 years ago.
On June 12 1940, just days after the successful mass evacuations at Dunkirk, thousands of British troops remained on continental Europe under French command.
Largely comprised of men from the 51st Highland Division, they fought almost continuously for 10 days against overwhelming odds until they were eventually surrounded at St Valery.
A flotilla of ships sent to rescue them could not reach them due to fog and the proximity of German artillery above the town.
Those who were not killed in the fierce fighting, or fell to their deaths from the cliffs trying to escape, were captured and marched hundreds of miles to prisoner of war camps in eastern Europe, where they endured appalling conditions for five years.
At 10am on June 12, pipers are urged to stand on their doorsteps and play the pipers’ march, Heroes Of St Valery, in memory of the men who fought there.
Legion Scotland, Poppyscotland and Royal Caledonian Education Trust: Scotland’s Armed Forces Children’s Charity have joined forces to organise the tribute, which will also include online learning resources, virtual tributes and a fundraising campaign to support the work of these charities.
Dr Claire Armstrong, chief executive of Legion Scotland, said: “It was moving to see the country commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
“It is vital that we also remember less triumphant periods of our history. ‘The Forgotten 51st’ should be forgotten no more.”
Musicians of all ages and abilities are being invited to download the sheet music and learn the piece.
Brigadier Charles Grant, a retired British Army officer and historian of the 51st Highland Division website, said: “It is time that the memory of those who fought and fell at St Valery are remembered in a national tribute for the first time.”
The first piper to sign up was Pipe Major Ben Duncan, from the Royal
Scots Dragoon Guards Pipes and Drums, who previewed the Heroes Of St Valery from the doorstep of Edinburgh Castle at the weekend, which, like other public buildings across the country, is closed due to the lockdown.
Pipe Major Duncan, who is based at Leuchars, Fife and lives in Edinburgh, said: “While the country may still be in lockdown, this is a great way for such a significant but littleremembered event in our history to be properly commemorated, while still staying safe at home.”