WWII vets march for one last time

Jun 6 2008 by Martin Couper

VALIANT World War II veterans will march on Perth this Sunday in one final parade.

Surviving members of the 51st Highland Division will take to the streets following an 11am service at St John’s Kirk.

Sunday’s service will see the dedication of a Highland Division tapestry that depicts wartime images of every unit in the Division.

The 51st Highland Division Veterans Association co-ordinator, Dr Tom Renouf told the PA why this would be the final gathering.

“We are all in our 80s and 90s now,” he said. “The association has been in existence for the best part of 20 years. We have erected seven monuments, three stained glass windows and many plaques.

“We have now produced a tapestry, this is our final duty. We now feel our mission is complete.”

Dr Renouf, who lives in Musselburgh, Edinburgh, was a lieutenant in the Black Watch – one of the battalions in the Highland Division.

He feels that a return to the “spiritual home” of the Highland Division was appropriate for this final send-off.

Celebrations will come to a head with the parade on Sunday, but there are events over the whole weekend.

Dr Renouf said: “It will be a very emotional event for our veterans but we are making a weekend of it.

“There will be receptions and we will be visiting the Black Watch memorial in Aberfeldy, the Highland Division monument at House of Bruar, as well as visiting Blair Atholl. We also have the veterans dinner on Saturday night. It might be the main event for many as it gives us a chance to talk where as the parade is very formal.”

Around 50 ex-servicemen are set to descend on Perth this weekend. Among those attending are veterans from the Highland Division’s assault campaigns in North Africa and Europe, surviving prisoners of war from the Division’s defeat at St Valery in 1940 and troops from D-Day.

Many people who lived through the occupation of St Valery are also preparing to make the trip to Scotland’s heartland.

While this will be the last outing for the veterans of the Highland Division, Dr Renouf hopes the Division’s sacrifices and achievements will always be remembered.

He said: “We won a great deal of glory, but it came at a heavy cost. We must pay tribute to those who gave their lives for our freedom.”