Heroes one and all

Jun 13 2008 by Gordon Bannerman

THEY came to remember fallen comrades and reflect on the passing years.

Perth hosted an emotional final farewell for veterans of the famous 51st Highland Division, which played a pivotal role in many of the key battles of the Second World War.

And among the 50 old soldiers honoured with a city centre parade, and services at St John’s Kirk and the North Inch, were a trio of Fair City veterans.

Harry Ruthven, Bill Tavendale and George O’Malley all grew up in Perth and are justifiably proud of their 51st Highland Division heritage.

But it was a day of mixed emotions as the wartime reunion, parade and dedication of a tapestry provided a painful reminder of what they and their colleagues endured from 1939 to 1945.

Harry (88) was one of thousands – many of them young men from Perth and Kinross – captured at St Valery in June 1940. Nearly 1000 died in and around a French port bombarded by Rommel’s Panzers.

Bill and George escaped the ferocious German offensive and went on to serve with distinction as the division regrouped and later advanced through North Africa and Sicily before playing a decisive role in the liberation of France, Holland and Belgium – and being entrusted with the final push across the Rhine in 1945.

Harry, who carried his Stalag tag 17587 as a stark reminder of a wasted five years, said: “A day like this brings back too many memories, to be honest. But hopefully today’s generation appreciates the sacrifices that were made.

“At St Valery, two staff sergeants on either side of me were killed. One was blinded and begged me to shoot him, but I just couldn’t do it.

“I was just 20 and a sergeant. We were ambushed further down the road and I was told to break into a shop and take an inventory so things could be settled after the war. But the shelling quickly got too hot.”

On his return to Perth, Harry’s weight was down to just six stone.

He said: “I had learned German and was shouting out in my sleep. I was on double rations but couldn’t eat them. And it took a long time before I became accustomed to sleeping in a bed again.”

George and Bill – both 87 – were drivers at the start of the conflict and were among the minority who evaded capture and a brutal forced march to prison in Poland.

George said: “I fell in with two machine gunners from the Middlesex Regiment and they hopped on my truck, spraying any Germans we encountered. At Le Havre we boarded a boat with remnants from the Highland Division and thought we were on our way home.

“But you know where that boat took us? To Cherbourg! We had a 20-mile march in the direction of Paris before we were told the capital had fallen. The boat was still there when we got back and the next day we were in Weymouth.”

Bill added: “A lot of lads of much the same age signed-up in Perth. I was working in Andrew Laing, the High Street grocers, when the call-up papers came in. That was August 4, 1939. There were 320 of us in the company but only 16 had driving licenses in the early days.”

Sunday’s ceremony offered a chance to meet with old comrades and reflect on friends lost during a relentless campaign, which included the symbolic liberation of St Valery on September 2, 1940.

“It’s said that Winston Churchill sacrificed the 51st Highland Division to buy time for the Dunkirk evacuation,” said George, whose family joined him for the ceremonies.

“There are very few of us left now so it is important to come along to events like this and to remember.”

Bill added: “It looks as if this is the last reunion on this scale. We’re all getting on.”