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British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (World War II)
 
 
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For the First World War unit, see British 51st (Highland) Division (World War I)
British 51st (Highland) Division (World War I)

The 51st Division was a United Kingdom Territorial Force division that fought on the Western Front in France during the World War I. The division's insignia was a stylised 'HD' inside a red circle....
.

The 51st (Highland) Infantry Division was a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 Territorial Army
Territorial Army

The Territorial Army is the volunteer Military reserve force of the British Army, the army of the United Kingdom, and composed mostly of part-time soldiers paid at a similar rate, while engaged on military activities, as their Regular equivalents....
 division
Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or Formation usually consisting of between ten to thirty thousand soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps....
 that fought during the Second World War
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
. The division was nicknamed the "Highway Decorators" in reference to the 'HD' insignia which adorned road signs along their axis of advance.

51st Division commanded by Major-General Victor Fortune
Victor Fortune

Major General Sir Victor Morven Fortune was a British Army officer who commanded the 51st Infantry Division during the Battle of France. He was captured during the battle and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war....
 formed part of the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)

The British Expeditionary warfare was the name given to the British Forces in Europe from 1939?1940 during The Second World War....
 at the start of World War 2.






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For the First World War unit, see British 51st (Highland) Division (World War I)
British 51st (Highland) Division (World War I)

The 51st Division was a United Kingdom Territorial Force division that fought on the Western Front in France during the World War I. The division's insignia was a stylised 'HD' inside a red circle....
.

The 51st (Highland) Infantry Division was a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 Territorial Army
Territorial Army

The Territorial Army is the volunteer Military reserve force of the British Army, the army of the United Kingdom, and composed mostly of part-time soldiers paid at a similar rate, while engaged on military activities, as their Regular equivalents....
 division
Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or Formation usually consisting of between ten to thirty thousand soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps....
 that fought during the Second World War
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
. The division was nicknamed the "Highway Decorators" in reference to the 'HD' insignia which adorned road signs along their axis of advance.

History


Overview

The 51st Division commanded by Major-General Victor Fortune
Victor Fortune

Major General Sir Victor Morven Fortune was a British Army officer who commanded the 51st Infantry Division during the Battle of France. He was captured during the battle and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war....
 formed part of the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)

The British Expeditionary warfare was the name given to the British Forces in Europe from 1939?1940 during The Second World War....
 at the start of World War 2. With the capture of two of its brigade
Brigade

A brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army....
s in France the division effectively ceased to exist. The 9th (Highland) Infantry Division was renumbered as the 51st and subsequently served in the North Africa campaign. From there it went to Sicily before returning to France as part of the invasion of Northern Europe.

France 1940
Battle of France

In World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the Germany invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed from 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War....

After three years of training under Maj-Gen Fortune's command, the 1st Infantry Division departed from Southampton and disembarked at Le Havre in mid-January 1940. It was stationed in front of the Ouvrage Hackenberg
Ouvrage Hackenberg

Ouvrage Hackenberg, one of the largest of the Maginot Line fortifications, was part of the Fortified Sector of Boulay.It is situated twenty kilometers wast of Thionville, in the Moselle , near the village of Veckring, on the Hackenberg ....
 fortress of the Maginot Line
Maginot Line

The Maginot Line , named after French Minister of Defence Andr? Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defenses, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in the light of experience from World War I, and in the run-up to World War II....
 and had thus escaped being encircled with the rest of the BEF at Dunkirk
Battle of Dunkirk

The Battle of Dunkirk during the World War II was the defence and evacuation of British and Allied forces in Europe from May 26 to June 4, 1940....
. It was then pulled back to a new line roughly along the River Somme
Somme

The Somme is a departments of France of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme River. It is part of the Picardie regions of France....
, where it was attached to the French Tenth Army
Tenth Army (France)

The Tenth Army was a Field army of the French Army during World War I. It took part in the Battle of the Somme in 1916....
. For some time, it was forced to hold a line four times longer than that which would normally be expected of a division. During this period, the 154th Brigade was detached to form "Arkforce" and was able to escape the German drive into central France and Normandy. However, the 152nd and 153rd Brigades were trapped at Saint-Valéry-en-Caux
Saint-Valery-en-Caux

Saint-Valery-en-Caux is a communes of France and chief town of a cantons of France in the Seine-Maritime departments of France of the Haute-Normandie region of northern France....
, and surrendered on 12 June.

Subsequently most were prisoners at Stalag XX-A
Stalag XX-A

Stalag XX-A was a Germany World War II Prisoner of war Camp located in Torun, Poland. It was not a single camp and contained as many as 20,000 men at its peak....
 at Thorn in Poland until early 1945 when they took place in the 'Long March' marching up to 450 miles in the depths of winter to Stalag XIB/357 at Bad Fallingbostel on the Lunenberg Heath.

A Division Reborn

In August 1940, the British 9th (Highland) Infantry Division
British 9th (Highland) Infantry Division

The 9th Infantry Division was a second line Territorial Army formation at the beginning of the Second World War. After the surrender of the British 51st Infantry Division in 1940, the 9th Division, a replica of the 51st Division, was reorganised as the new 51st Infantry Division....
, a 2nd Line Territorial Army duplicate of the 51st Division, was converted into the new 51st Division, with the 26th and 27th Brigades redesignated as 152nd and 153rd Brigades, and the 28th being merged with the severely under strength 154th Brigade. Two years of home defence followed on the south coast of England and north-east coast of Scotland .

The Mediterranean

Arriving in North Africa in June 1942, the new 51st Highland Division experienced its first battle at El Alamein
Battle of El Alamein

There were two battles of El Alamein in the Second World War, both fought in 1942. The Battles occurred in Egypt in and around an area named after a railway stop called El Alamein at ....
 (October-November 1942). It then played a major part in Operation Lightfoot, where it was in the center of the Northern Push, between the Australian 9th Division
Australian 9th Division

The 9th Division of the Australian Army was formed to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force . The division was raised from regular army units and volunteer infantry brigades, from October 1940 onwards....
 and the 2nd New Zealand Division. It faced the 21st Panzer Division and some Italian units. Initially unsuccessful during Lightfoot, the minefields
Land mine

A land mine is an explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the proximity of a vehicle, person, or animal....
 it cleared were key in achieving a breakout during Operation Supercharge. It was involved in the battle at Wadi Akarit, Tunisia in early April 1943, and took part in the frontal assault on strongpoints guarded by deep minefields, where it was on the far right of the line. The battalion commander of the 7th Argylls, Lt Col Lorne Campbell
Lorne Campbell

Lorne Campbell is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 140 games in various professional leagues, including the National Hockey Association. Amongst the teams he for played with were the Cobalt Silver Kings....
, was awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth of Nations countries, and previous British Empire territories....
 for his leadership during the battle. Later, the division took part in the invasion of Sicily and later, the invasion of Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
. It was then recalled from the 8th Army in Italy, on the wishes of the 8th Army's ex-commander, General Bernard Law Montgomery, together with 7th Armoured Division and 50th (Northumbrian) Division, to prepare for the invasion of North-West Europe. Montgomery later commented "Of the many fine divisions that served under me in the Second World War, none were finer than the Highland division."

Salerno Mutiny

When a group of recuperating wounded soldiers of the 51st returned from their North African hospital to rejoin the division in Italy, they were split up instead and ordered to various units and formations totally unrelated to the 51st Division or its component regiments. Some soldiers of the division regarded this as administrative high-handedness and refused to follow these orders. The mutineers were distributed to various units regardless, while ringleaders were jailed.

Battle of Normandy
Operation Overlord

Operation Overlord was the code name for the invasion of Western Front during World War II by Western Allies forces. The operation began with the Normandy Landings on 6 June 1944 , among the largest amphibious warfares ever conducted....

The 51st Division landed in Normandy on 7 June, as part of I Corps. After spending a brief period supporting 3rd Canadian Infantry Division
3rd Canadian Infantry Division

History The formation of the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division was authorized on 17 May 1940. There was then a considerable delay until the brigade and divisional headquarters were formed on September 5, and the first divisional commander was appointed on October 26....
, it was sent across the Orne River
Orne River

The Orne is a river in Normandy, within northwestern France. It discharges into the English Channel at the port of Ouistreham. Its source is in Aunou-sur-Orne, east of S?es....
, and spent two months supporting the 6th Airborne Division in its bridgehead. During this period it fought many difficult actions at places such as Breville
Bréville

Br?ville is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:*Br?ville, Charente*Br?ville-les-Monts, in the Calvados d?partement...
 (11-12 June) and Colombelles
Colombelles

Colombelles is a Communes of France in the Calvados Departments of France in the Basse-Normandie Regions of France in northern France.It is located on the Canal de Caen ? la Mer....
 (11 July). Its performance in Normandy was, overall, considered disappointing, particularly by General Montgomery
Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein

Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, Order of the Garter, Order of the Bath, Distinguished Service Order, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, , often referred to as "Monty", was an Anglo-Irish British Army officer....
, who stated in a telegram to Field Marshal Brooke that the division "had failed every mission it was given" . This led to the replacement of its Normandy commander, Major-General D.C. Bullen-Smith, with Major-General Thomas Rennie, who had served with the division in France, North Africa and Sicily before being elevated to command of 3rd Infantry Division for the Normandy invasion .

On 1 August 1944 the division, along with the rest of I Corps, became part of the newly-activated First Canadian Army
First Canadian Army

The First Canadian Army was the senior Canadian operational formation in Europe during the Second World War.The Army was formed in early 1942, replacing the existing unnumbered Canadian Corps , as the growing number of Canadian forces in the United Kingdom necessitated an expansion to two corps....
. The division fought alongside this army in Operation Totalize, before advancing to Lisieux
Lisieux

Lisieux is a Communes of the Calvados d?partement in the Calvados D?partement in France in the Basse-Normandie r?gion in France of France....
. It then continued east over the river Seine and headed, on Montgomery's order for Saint-Valéry-en-Caux
Saint-Valery-en-Caux

Saint-Valery-en-Caux is a communes of France and chief town of a cantons of France in the Seine-Maritime departments of France of the Haute-Normandie region of northern France....
, the scene of the division's surrender in June 1940. The division 's massed pipes and drums played in the streets of the town, and a parade included veterans of the 1940 campaign were with the 51st in 1944. A similar event occurred at Dieppe
Dieppe

Dieppe may refer to:* Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, a port in France** Dieppe Raid, an Allied attack on German forces in this town which took place during World War II...
 when it was liberated by the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division
2nd Canadian Infantry Division

The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division was an infantry Division of the First Canadian Army, mobilized on 1 September 1939 during the Second World War....
.

After Normandy

Leaving St Valery, 51st Division was engaged in Operation Astonia
Operation Astonia

Operation Astonia was a battle fought during the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine of World War II from 10 September 1944 to 12 September 1944....
, the battle for Le Havre. After the successful capture of the town, the division went on to take part in the Battle of the Scheldt
Battle of the Scheldt

The Battle of the Scheldt was a series of military operations of the First Canadian Army, led by Guy Simonds. The battle took place in northern Belgium and southwestern Netherlands during World War II from October 2, 1944 to November 8, 1944...
 in October 1944, finally passing into reserve and garrisoning the Meuse
Meuse River

File:01-Namur-290305 JPG.jpgThe Meuse , is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea....
 during the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge

The Ardennes Offensive was a major German offensive launched towards the end of World War II through the forested Ardennes of Belgium , France and Luxembourg on the Western Front ....
, now as part of XXX Corps. It was not involved in heavy fighting during the early stages of the battle and was deployed as a stopgap in case the Germans broke through. In January 1945 the division, along with the rest of XXX Corps, helped to cut off the northern tip of the German salient, linking up with the US 84th Infantry Division at Nisramont on 14 January . Following this, the division was involved in Operation Veritable
Operation Veritable

Operation Veritable was the northern part of the Second World War pincer movement by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's 21st Army Group to clear the land between the Rhine and Roer rivers which took place between 8 February and 11 March, 1945....
, the clearing of the Rhineland and the later Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
 crossings, ending the war in the Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven

Bremerhaven is the port city of the free city and States of Germany of Bremen , Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Weser River on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham....
 area of Northern Germany. During the North-West Europe campaign 51st (Highland) Division had suffered a total of 19,524 battle casualties

Orders of Battle


51st (Highland) Infantry Division, 1939-1940


152nd Infantry Brigade
152nd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

.152nd Infantry Brigade was part of The 51st Division was a British Territorial Army division that fought during the Second World War. The division was referred to as the "Highway Decorators" by other divisions who became used to discovering the 'HD' insignia painted wherever the Highlanders had passed through....
  • 2nd Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders
    Seaforth Highlanders

    The Seaforth Highlanders was a historic regiment of the British Army associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The Seaforth Highlanders have varied in size from two battalions to seventeen battalions during the World War I....
     (regular army)
  • 4th Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders
    Seaforth Highlanders

    The Seaforth Highlanders was a historic regiment of the British Army associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The Seaforth Highlanders have varied in size from two battalions to seventeen battalions during the World War I....
  • 4th Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
    Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders

    The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1793. In 1961 it was merged with the Seaforth Highlanders to form the Queen's Own Highlanders....


153rd Infantry Brigade
153rd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

.153rd Infantry Brigade, part of The 51st Division, was a British Territorial Army brigade that fought during the Second World War. The division was referred to as the "Highway Decorators" by other divisions who became used to discovering the 'HD' insignia painted wherever the Highlanders had passed through....
  • 4th Battalion, The Black Watch
    Black Watch

    The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.Prior to 28 March 2006, the Black Watch was an infantry regiment in its own right; The Black Watch from 1931 to 2006, and The Royal Highland Regiment from 1881 to 1931....
  • 1st Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders (regular army)
  • 5th Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders


154th Infantry Brigade
154th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

.154th Infantry Brigade was part of The 51st Division and was a British Territorial Army division that fought during the Second World War. The division was referred to as the "Highway Decorators" by other divisions who became used to discovering the 'HD' insignia painted wherever the Highlanders had passed through....
  • 1st Battalion, The Black Watch (regular army)
  • 7th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
    Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

    The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. In 2004, as part of the Delivering Security in a Changing World, it was announced that the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders would be amalgamated with the other Scottish infantry regiments into the single Royal Regiment of Scotla...
  • 8th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders


Divisional Support Units
  • 1st Lothians & Border Yeomanry
    Lothian and Border Horse

    The Lothians and Border Horse was a Yeomanry regiment, part of the British Territorial Army. It was ranked 36th in the Yeomanry order of precedence, and based in the Scottish Lowland area, recruiting in the Lothian and along the border with England....
  • 75th (Highland) Regiment, Royal Artillery
  • 76th (Highland) Regiment, Royal Artillery
  • 77th (Highland) Regiment, Royal Artillery
  • 51st (West Highland) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
  • 236th Field Company, Royal Engineers
  • 237th Field Company, Royal Engineers
  • 238th Field Company, Royal Engineers


51st (Highland) Infantry Division, 1940-1945

152nd Infantry Brigade
152nd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

.152nd Infantry Brigade was part of The 51st Division was a British Territorial Army division that fought during the Second World War. The division was referred to as the "Highway Decorators" by other divisions who became used to discovering the 'HD' insignia painted wherever the Highlanders had passed through....
 (formerly 26th Infantry Brigade) :
  • 2nd Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders
  • 5th Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders
  • 5th Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
153rd Infantry Brigade
153rd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

.153rd Infantry Brigade, part of The 51st Division, was a British Territorial Army brigade that fought during the Second World War. The division was referred to as the "Highway Decorators" by other divisions who became used to discovering the 'HD' insignia painted wherever the Highlanders had passed through....
 (formerly 27th Infantry Brigade) :
  • 5th Battalion, The Black Watch
  • 1st Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders
  • 5/7th Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders
154th Infantry Brigade
154th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

.154th Infantry Brigade was part of The 51st Division and was a British Territorial Army division that fought during the Second World War. The division was referred to as the "Highway Decorators" by other divisions who became used to discovering the 'HD' insignia painted wherever the Highlanders had passed through....
 (formerly 28th Infantry Brigade) :
  • 1st Battalion, The Black Watch
  • 7th Battalion, The Black Watch
  • 7th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders


Divisional Support Units
  • 1st/7th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment
  • 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry
    Derbyshire Yeomanry

    The Derbyshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1794, which served as a Cavalry regiments of the British Army and dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and provided two reconnaissance regiments in the Second World War, before being amalgamated into The Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeomanry...
    , Royal Armoured Corps
    Royal Armoured Corps

    The Royal Armoured Corps is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old Cavalry regiments of the British Army, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army....
  • 126th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
    Royal Artillery

    The Royal Artillery, is the common name for the Royal Regiment of Artillery, is an Arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it is made up of a number of regiments....
  • 127th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
  • 128th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
  • 61st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
  • 274th Field Company, Royal Engineers
    Royal Engineers

    The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the Structure of the British Army of the British Army....
  • 275th Field Company, Royal Engineers
  • 276th Field Company, Royal Engineers


Commanders

  • Maj.Gen. V.M.Fortune
    Victor Fortune

    Major General Sir Victor Morven Fortune was a British Army officer who commanded the 51st Infantry Division during the Battle of France. He was captured during the battle and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war....
    : 1937 - 12 June 1940 (Captured)
  • Maj.Gen. Sir Alan Cunningham: 7 August 1940 - 7 October 1940
  • Maj.Gen. Sir Neil Ritchie
    Neil Ritchie

    General Sir Neil Methuen Ritchie Order of the British Empire, Order of the Bath, Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross was a United Kingdom commanding officer during the World War II....
    : 7 October 1940- 11 June 1941
  • Maj.Gen. D.N.Wimberley
    Douglas Wimberley

    Major-General Douglas Neil Wimberley Order of the Bath, Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross was commander of the British 51st Infantry Division at the Second Battle of El Alamein in World War II and lead it across North Africa to Allied invasion of Sicily....
    : 11 June 1941 - 8 August 1943
  • Maj.Gen. D.C.Bullen-Smith: 8 August 1943 - 26 July 1944
  • Maj.Gen. T.G.Rennie: 26 July 1944 - 23 March 1945 (Killed in Action)
  • Maj.Gen. G.H.A.MacMillan: 23 March 1945 - ?
  • Maj.Gen. A.J.H.Cassels: ? - ?


Cultural References


Music

  • "The 51st (Highland) Division's Farewell to Sicily", a folk song written by Hamish Henderson
    Hamish Henderson

    'Hamish Scott Henderson', was a Scotland poet, songwriter, socialist, humanist, soldier, and intellectual.He has been called the most important Scots poet since Robert Burns, catalyst for the folk revival in Scotland, discoverer of Jeannie Robertson, the man who accepted the surrender of Italy on 19 April 1945, the author of the Freedom...
    , a former officer who served in the 51st Division during the Sicilian campaign. It has been recorded by a number of folk singers, including Dick Gaughan
    Dick Gaughan

    Richard Peter Gaughan is a Scotland musician, singer, and songwriter.He was born in Glasgow's Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital, when his father was working in Glasgow as an engine driver....
    .
  • "The Beaches of St. Valery", performed by the Battlefield Band
    Battlefield Band

    Battlefield Band is a Scottish traditional music group. Founded in Glasgow in the 1970s, it has undergone many changes of lineup, though founding member Alan Reid has remained a constant presence....
    . Written by Davy Steel, it tells the story of the 51st Division's struggle to reach Saint-Valéry-en-Caux in 1940 only to find that no ships had been sent to evacuate them.
  • "The Old Boys", performed by the Scottish group Runrig
    Runrig

    Runrig is a six-piece folk rock band from Scotland. The group was founded in 1973, and as of 2009, Runrig has released 13 studio albums.Musically, Runrig is rock-oriented....
    , who sing in both English and Gaelic
    Scottish Gaelic language

    Scottish Gaelic is a member of the Goidelic languages branch of Celtic languages. This branch also includes the Irish language and Manx language languages....
    . The song which first appeared on the album Recovery (1981) and was reprised on Protera (2003) speaks of the declining numbers of Gaelic speaking members of the 51st who fought at St Valery.
  • "Farewell, 51st, farewell!", a folk song written by Andy Stewart
    Andy Stewart (musician)

    Andy Stewart MBE was a Scottish people singer and entertainer....
    , about scrapping of the 51st Division, but indicates that they will never be forgotten, as the lyrics say "On the glory road of fame, there is honour tae your name. Farewell 51st, Farewell."


Dance

  • "The Reel of the 51st Division" was written in the Laufen PoW camp by soldiers captured at St Valery. It was the very first modern Scottish Country Dance
    Scottish country dance

    Scottish country dancing or "Reel " is a form of social dance involving groups of mixed couples of dancers tracing Formation dance according to a predetermined choreography....
     published by the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society
    Royal Scottish Country Dance Society

    The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society , was founded in 1923 as the Scottish Country Dance Society by Jean Milligan and Ysobel Stewart of Fasnacloich, who wanted to preserve Scottish country dance as performed in Scotland, country dancing having fallen into disuse after the influx of continental ballroom dances such as the waltz or qu...
    . The original tune written in Laufen has been superseded by the traditional reel "The Drunken Piper" and the dance was re-cast from its original form involving a longwise set of ten men to the more usual four couple set. The original ten-man version is still danced in some parts.


The dance was published in the first post-WWII edition (Book Thirteen) of "The Scottish Country Dance Book".

Bibliography

  • Delaforce, Patrick, Monty's Highlanders: The Story of the 51st Highland Division Pen & Sword, 2007. ISBN 1844155129
  • Doherty, Richard, None Bolder: The History of the 51st Highland Division in the Second World War Spellmount, 2006. ISBN 1862273170
  • Salmond, J.B. The Story of the 51st Highland Division. Wm Blackwood & Sons, 1953. No ISBN.
  • Linklater, Eric The Highland Division. HMSO, 1942. No ISBN.


External links