International search to identify fallen World War II Highland Division hero
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As the anniversary to mark the battle of St Valery-en-Caux approaches, an international search has been launched to uncover the identity of a fallen hero.
The 51st Highland Division soldier evaded capture during the infamous Second World War battle but would later be betrayed in the French fishing port and now rests in an unnamed grave.
Days after the mass-evacuations at Dunkirk, thousands of men from the 51st Highland Division – many from Badenoch and Strathspey – remained on mainland Europe supporting their French allies. As German troops advanced through Normandy, the 51st fought valiantly, protecting French citizens, and hoping that evacuation by sea would be forthcoming.
On June 12 1940, German Panzer units surrounded the Division at the coastal commune of St Valery. This, alongside a curtain of heavy fog, made the long-awaited flotilla rescue unviable, and they were forced to surrender. Those who were not killed in the fighting were captured as Prisoners of War and marched to camps in Eastern Europe, where they remained for five gruelling years.
In June last year the Strathy told the story of one Badenoch family who still cherished the astonishing illustrated diary kept during the march by Major Bertie Williamson, of the 51st Signals.
Following the 2020 commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of St Valery which saw hundreds of pipers around the world play in unison in tribute to the ‘Forgotten 51st’, a remarkable story has emerged.
One brave soldier miraculously evaded capture and was taken in by a local French family, hiding him from the occupying German forces.
“We were contacted by Monsieur Patrick Prieur, a 65-year-old St Valery resident whose grandparents and father remained in the town during the entirety of the war. He told us the story of the escapee and the tragedy that befell him” said Dr Claire Armstrong, Chief Executive of Legion Scotland.
“Until last year the battle of St Valery was relatively unknown, but we set that right with commemorations that reached around the world.
"As we approach the 81st anniversary of the battle, we hope to identify this Scottish hero, give him the recognition he deserves, and bring peace to his family.”
Patrick Prieur recalled the tale his late father told him: “A soldier from the 51st Highland Division was hidden by a local family in the village. They bonded, and the family learned that he was a married man with a wife and two daughters waiting for him to return home.
“For several weeks, the soldier remained hidden, but regretfully he was eventually discovered by German troops and marched through the town to the municipal cemetery.
"After being forced to dig his own grave, he was positioned against the cemetery wall and shot.
"His death deeply upset the townspeople— who had been aware of his hiding—and especially my father, who was only 11 at the time.
“In later years, the Franco-British military cemetery was built, and his body was moved there.
"His grave is marked as ‘Known unto God’, and my father and other villagers tended to it for decades after the war ended.”
Poppyscotland is eager to hear from anyone that has pertinent information that can assist them in their pursuit of discovering the soldier’s identity.
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