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STV News
01-05-2025
- General
- STV News
VE Day: Memories of WWII by those who fought for freedom
The guns finally fell silent 80 years ago. The Second World War was over after six long years of brutal conflict. On May 8, 1945, Winston Churchill addressed the nation. The German High Command had signed an act of unconditional surrender and Victory in Europe Day was declared. To mark that historic moment, STV News has gone through the archives to hear from three Scottish veterans who fought bravely for their country. These heroes are sadly no longer with us. Their voices are now silent. But their stories live on. Signalman Andrew Cheyne, who served in 51st Highland Division, said: 'I can tell you that we were drawn up over two miles outside St Valery before we went in, and more or less told to destruct all our equipment and machines, run the motors dry, and after that, gentlemen, you're on your own. 'On the beach itself was pretty hellish. There was hundreds and hundreds of troops there huddled, no one knowing what to do, running about. And at that point the mortar started. STV News 'That caused more mayhem at that point, they must have hit a petrol tanker because petrol leaped into the air, just like a huge hand of fire, and it fell down on the wounded on the beach. 'Between the screaming of the wounded on the beach, the shelling, mortaring, machine gun fire, I never heard anything like it in my life before, and I don't want to hear it again. 'A chance shell brought the cliffs down on top of me and brought it down the back of my neck and pushed me over a bit – 15 feet. I didn't know that then, but I dislocated my hips. 'At that point, two of my muckers came along and saw me there. They pulled me up off the beach itself, up underneath the cliff. Now that's no doubt that saved my life.' Private Alexander Cortmann, who served in the 3rd Parachute Regiment, recalled the Battle of Arnhem in 1944. STV News He said: 'When you land in Arnhem there's going to be old men, old home guard people and children. I never saw any children, all I saw were big beefy Germans. 'I remember coming through a street near where we landed, and there was a shoe on the pavement. I kicked the shoe, the foot was still in it, that must be (comrade) Gordon, I looked over this hedge and there was a leg and a thigh, standing, someone said 'that's the other bit of Gordon'. 'Now, I wasn't sick, it was just a terrible sadness came over me. Good lads, wasted, just wasted, they would have made good husbands, good fathers…gone.' Radio Operator William Shand, who served on HMS Franklin, described travelling among the Arctic convoys. He said: 'The weather was terrible, it was bitterly cold. It was frightening, it was the great unknown. We must have been on the outskirts of the convoy and we heard lots of noises, but the visibility was such, you couldn't see the end of the point of your nose, as the saying goes. 'When we did get back to Scapa, shortly after that, we were transferred down to the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary, and on June 5 that night, there were pamphlets on our domestic table saying we were going on this wonderful expedition to release Europe.' STV News Bill continued: 'Next morning, we woke up, we were in Arromanches, which was the British landing, and all hell was let loose.'You couldn't go out of the upper deck because of debris falling and bits of shells.'We went up the River Orne, and this was with an American boat. They said 'we will let you go first'. I thought that's very kind, because it was mined – silly. 'And when we got there that night, we had hospitality from the American boat Coca Cola films. We thought 'my golly, there's a war on'. The next morning, they cut adrift from us. Got about 50 yards and they blew up.'Out of there, or maybe 500 of a compliment, we got about 250 and most of them were dead as well.' STV News Veterans. Winston Churchill: 'Yesterday morning at 2:41am at General Eisenhower's headquarters, General Jodl, the representative of the German High Command, signed the act of unconditional surrender. We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing. Today is Victory in Europe Day.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
BBC News
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
How bagpipes saved a Glasgow piper's great-grandfather
After piper Malcolm Campbell was shot and left for dead during World War One, he credited his bagpipes with helping to save his life. During the recovery of bodies following the Battle of Marne in France in 1914, his pipes were accidentally set off, alerting fellow soldiers that he was still alive. More than 110 years later, the same set of bagpipes are still being played - by Malcolm's great-grandson Alasdair Campbell. The third generation of his family to have the pipes, Alasdair said: "I play them pretty much every day - in bands, solo and in competitions." Malcolm, known as Calum Alasdair in his home island of South Uist in the Western Isles, was a private in the Queen's Own Cameron was among thousands of soldiers in the British Expeditionary Force who fought alongside French troops against German forces at the Battle of the was fought over several days in September 1914 and halted the German's advance on Paris, but was followed by years of trench warfare. The battle resulted in a total of between 300,000 and 500,000 said his great-grandfather, though wounded during the fighting, was one of the lucky ones."He was shot and left for dead," said Alasdair, who lives in Glasgow."But a few days later when they went out to pick up the bodies one of the body collectors stood on him."He was lying on top of the pipes and the pipes made a noise and they thought 'oh, good Lord he must still be alive, we must get him to hospital and back on his feet'."Malcolm, who was carried off the battlefield with his pipes, spent months in a hospital in Aldershot, said: "After that he made a full recovery and he got an honourable discharge and was sent home."He said his grandfather, mum and uncles would not have existed if it was not for the bagpipes. Alasdair is proud to carry on a tradition started by Malcolm, and over the years the pipes have been played at European and World Pipe Band said: "They belonged to my great-grandfather and my grandfather and then I subsequently inherited them."So they have a long lineage." Bagpipes were carried into other battles during WW1, and again during World War Daniel Laidlaw won the Victoria Cross for his actions at The Battle of Loos, the largest British battle on the Western Front in climbed from a trench and played Blue Bonnets Over The Border to encourage his fellow soldiers to renew an assault on German WW2, pipers were used by the 51st Highland Division at the start of the Battle of El Alamein in October 1942. The pipers' tunes were used to identify different commando Bill Millin was ordered by his commanding officer to play his pipes to rally troops during D-Day in June actions on Sword Beach were later portrayed in the 1962 film The Longest Day.
