1. [ pow ]

Corp. Jack Kidd
Jan 1938 - Early 1945

Corporal Jack Kidd's personal accounts of joining the Division in 1938, the surrender at St. Valery 1940, the journey into captivity as a WWII POW and the final forced 'Death March' or 'Thousand mile march' in 1945 as the German Guards retreated.

2. [ pow ]

Road to St. Valéry
Jan 1938 - June 1940

Corp. Jack Kidd's experience from joining the Territorial Army in January 1938 to his capture at St. Valéry-en-caux in June 1940.

4. [ pow ]

volunteering - capture
1939 - 1940

From Henry Owens' volunteering in 1939 to his capture at St. Valery in 1940

5. [ public ]

R.A.S.C., Officers' Training Coy
December 1939

Thank you to James Gillies for sending us this photograph. The photograph is framed and retains its original caption along with a note of each Officer in the lineup. The caption reads: 51st Highland Division, R.A.S.C., Officers' Training Company. December 1939.

7. [ pow ]

March into Captivity
Summer 1940

Personal account of the march into POW captivity by Henry Owens, 1940

8. [ pow ]

to the POW Camp
Summer 1940

Corporal Jack Kidd's personal accounts of the journey into captivity from 12th June 1940 at St. Valéry, through Belgium, Holland and onto Thorne in Poland.

10. [ pow ]

POW Processing
1940

Corp. Jack Kidd recalls his POW processing at Thorne, Polland, Summer/Autumn 1940

11. [ pow ]

Stalag XXa
1940

Henry owens describes Stalag XXa, Torun (Thorn), Poland 1940

13. [ pow ]

Stalag XXb, Marienburg
1942 - 1944

Henry Owens describes Stalag XXb, Marienburg 1942 - 1944

14. [ public ]

152 Brigade in Sicily
August 1943

Two photos (and description) of 152 Light Aid Detachment in Sicily during the stand down in the Catania area prior to embarkation to the UK.

16. [ public ]

152 INFANTRY BRIGADE HQ AT "CASTLE EMBOURG"
December 1944

Scanned document kindly sent to us by Georges Laloux in December 2009 showing Officers from 152nd Infantry Brigade H.Q. [Seaforth Highlanders] who stayed in "Embourg Castle" during December 1944 and the Ardennes Campaign.

17. [ pow ]

Thousand Mile March
Late 1944 - Early 1945

In late 1944, as the Russian advanced, the Germans evacuated the prisoner of war camps to prevent the liberation of the prisoners by the Russians. This resulted in more than 80,000 allied prisoners being marched west from Poland through Germany and Czechoslovakia through the first four months of 1945. Many did not survive...

19. [ memorials ]

La Roche Memorial

Memorial dedicated to the men of the 51st Highland Division who fell in the operation to take La Roche as part of the Ardennes offensive in January 1945.

20. [ memorials ]

Stalag XXb, Marienburg

The Memorial at Stalag XXb, Marienburg (now Malbork) unveiled in September 2009

1. [ account ]

Movements leaving Lille
April 1940

Account of the "Movements of 51 Div. and Attached Tps. since leaving Lille Area" [April 1940].

Provided by Mr Michael Thomson of Perth who provided various artefacts from his Uncle, Major David K Thomson, who was in the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) in the Divisional Supply Regiment.

2. [ account ]

Rhine Crossing - Albert Bellamy Account
March 1945

An account of the Rhine Crossing by Albert Bellamy; Published in a local newspaper and kindly provided to us by Trooper Bellamy's Daughter.

1. [ photo ]

Seaforth Highlanders TA pipes & drums
Inter-war period

Seaforth Highlanders TA pipes & drums (during the inter-war period) - kindly sent to us by Sandy Reid.

2. [ photo ]

Seaforth Highlanders TA pipes & drums
Inter-war period

Seaforth Highlanders TA pipes & drums (during the inter-war period) - kindly sent to us by Sandy Reid. This photo show what is likely to be a TA training camp in the background.

4. [ photo ]

Seaforth TA pipes & drums
Inter-war period

Seaforth Highlanders TA pipes & drums (during the inter-war period) - kindly sent to us by Sandy Reid.

5. [ photo ]

Massed Bands of 51HD at Aldershot 1939
Aldershot 1939

Massed Pipes and Drums of the 51st Highland Division in Aldershot in 1939 - from the collection of Pipe Major A Duthie, formerly The Black Watch.

7. [ photo ]

242 Battery "G" Troop
Before North Africa, 1942

Paul Witty, who's Father (Jim Witty) served in North Africa and Sicily with the 61st Anti-Tank Regiment, very kindly sent us a disc of scanned photographs of his Father's, taken during various periods of his service. Jim Witty is marked as 2nd row, 3rd from left.

8. [ photo ]

51st Reconnaissance Regiment
June 1942

Richard Sands, who's Father (Sgt George Sands MM) served with the 51st, kindly sent us a scan of a photograph his Father had of the Sergeants and Warrant Officers of the 51st (H) Reconnaissance Regiment, taken in June of 1942 before their departure to Egypt where they would join the 8th Army in preparation for the battle of El Alamein.

Sgt George Sands served with both 2nd and 5th battalions. Sailing to North Africa, January 1942, as reinforcements/replacements for 2nd battalion at Tobruk. Before he had finished acclimatisation, Tobruk had fallen and 2nd battalion went into captivity. He fought for a few months with 4th Indian Div. He then joined 5th battalion when they arrived in Egypt some 6months later. He fought with 5th battalion from Alamein to Bremen.

10. [ photo ]

242 Battery, Sicily
Sicily, July 1943

Paul Witty, who's Father (Jim Witty) served in North Africa and Sicily with the 61st Anti-Tank Regiment, very kindly sent us a disc of scanned photographs of his Father's, taken during various periods of his service.

11. [ photo ]

152 Brigade, Sicily, 1943
Sicily, 1943

Presumed to be 152 Brigade in Sicily during the stand down in the Catania area prior to embarkation to the UK. Kindly sent to us by H Jemmeson who's Father, Edward Jemmeson, W.O.1 ASM with REME placed in the 152 Light Aid Detachment attached to 152 Brigade of 51st Highland Division for the Africa, Sicily and D-Day campaigns. E Jemmeson is third from far left bottom row in this photo.

13. [ photo ]

Castle Embourg
December 1944

"Castle Embourg" was the local name for Chateau Piedboeuf, located in the (then small) village of Embourg, south of Liége. It seems that 152 Infantry Brigade H.Q. (Seaforth Highlanders) was situated at the Chateau in December 1944 during the Ardennes Campaign.

This scanned image is of a list of Officers and Soldiers who stayed in the home of Georges Laloux (then thirteen years old) in Embourg.

14. [ photo ]

32nd Reunion Dinner
March 1949

Program for the 32nd Reunion Dinner of the 51st Highland Division – held 18th March 1949 at The Mayfair Hotel, London. Shows a splendid cartoon "Up The 51st" on the back.

16. [ photo ]

St Valéry, Commemorative Window

This window shows the harbour inlet and town of St. Valéry within an aerial landscape incorporating the surrounding countryside which was involved in the action of 1940, together with the abrupt division by the cliffs between it and the sea which were both of extreme significance to the events of the time.

17. [ photo ]

St Valéry Stained Glass window

This memorial window, dedicated in June 1990, is a gift from the highland cities and towns of Scotland and commemorates fifty years of their special association with the people and township of St. Valéry en Caux with Inverness which began in the difficult circumstances of 1940 when the German army converged on the town and the combined allied forces comprising the French 9 St Corps and the 51st Highland Division.

19. [ photo ]

La Roche Memorial

51HD Memorial, La Roche-en-Ardenne, Belgium. Photo taken on 27th February 2009 by Didier Renard

20. [ photo ]

Stalag XXB Memorial

Memorial on the site of Stalag XXB, Marienburg. Kindly sent by Andrzej Gilewski, a resident of Malbork (previously known as Marienburg).

22. [ photo ]

St. Valéry Memorial Stone
taken 2010

51st Highland Division Memorial at St. Valéry. The inscription reads "In proud and grateful memory of all ranks of the 51st (Highland) Division who gave their lives during the war 1939-45"

23. [ photo ]

Sferro Monument (from P. Hooton)

Sferro Monument, August 2010, Sicily. Taken by P. Hooton