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BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
VJ day in Scotland marked by pipes at dawn and two-minute silence
Events have been held around Scotland to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.A lone piper played at Edinburgh Castle at dawn ahead of a national two-minute silence for those who served in the Far East and Pacific during the Aberdeen, the Gordon Highlanders Association Drums and pipes performed on the city's Castlegate, while in Renfrewshire veterans held a victory Day, or Victory over Japan Day, is commemorated on 15 August each year and marks the date in 1945 when Japan surrendered to Allied forces, bringing World War Two to an end after nearly six years. A service of remembrance also took place at Cavell Gardens in Inverness, where the solemn silence was observed at King Charles III and Queen Camilla joined World War Two veterans, aged between 96 and 105, for a remembrance service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. In an address to the nation later, the King will say the service and sacrifice of those who fought and died in the Asia-Pacific theatre will never be forgotten. The event in Aberdeen was held at the Gordon Highlanders monument. The statue honours the last armoured regiment fighting at the end of the gathered for the event in the city's Castlegate, including representatives from the Burma Star Association and the Royal British American visitors, who were in the city on a cruise holiday, were also in Lively, 78, from Arkansas, told BBC Scotland News: "My father fought in Europe and was put on orders to go to Japan before the war concluded. "I'm glad they are still remembering those men and women who died for us."We can't forget what happened. If you forget history, you re-do history."Fellow veteran, Ernie Palmer, 77, from Georgia, added: "This is so needed. We are forgetting too much and forgetting the price that was paid."As time goes by and veterans die off, it is getting forgotten and isn't being remembered enough, so this is very appropriate."The brutality of the enemy in those days was horrendous. It had to be stopped. It stopped at great cost. So many men from this area paid that cost." Jim Smith, 72, from Aberdeen, was present in memory of his father, Victor, who served in the Gordon told BBC Scotland News: "I wanted to be here to remember my father and his colleagues who suffered. "He was interned by the Japanese for three-and-a-half years."He spoke very little about what happened. He didn't reflect. The only thing I ever heard from him was, 'I was one of the lucky ones'. "He said that the poor devils who didn't come home, they are the ones everyone should think about. He was just thankful he came home." Elsewhere, veterans from the Erskine Home in Bishopton, in Renfrewshire, were joined by family and supporters on a victory group crossed the Erskine Bridge in tribute to those who served at the end of the World War Seymour, 90, who served alongside the Gurkas in Malaya (now Malaysia), laid a wreath at the VJ Memorial Stone at the from Sunderland but now living in Scotland, he was just ten years old when the war ended but remembers street about the walk he said: "It was my way of honouring those who didn't come home."It was an emotional day but also uplifting to see so many people coming together."
Press and Journal
14-06-2025
- General
- Press and Journal
Turriff's Jim Glennie, 99-year-old D-Day hero and Gordon Highlanders legend, awarded BEM
Jim Glennie was one of the first Gordon Highlanders to set foot on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day in 1944. And now, at the age of 99, the Turriff loon, who landed in Normandy more than 80 years ago, has been awarded a BEM in the King's Honours list. Mr Glennie, who volunteered at the Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen well into his 90s, is the regiment's last surviving member from the Second World War. He and his colleagues had no idea what was waiting for them when they arrived in France, but displayed great courage to help liberate France from the Nazis. As he once recalled with typical understatement: 'You were scared within yourself, but you didn't show it. You didn't know what was going to happen – it was very dodgy.' Major Grenville Irvine-Fortescue MBE, the chairman of the Gordon Highlanders Association, paid a warm tribute to his long-term friend. He said: ''The very special award of a BEM to our D-Day veteran, Jim Glennie, is a wonderful recognition of his devotion and service. 'Apart from his war service with 5th/7th Gordons, he has been a stalwart volunteer for the Gordon Highlanders Museum, a very proud standard bearer for the Royal British Legion and equally proud member of the Aberdeen Branch of the Association. 'I know my Gordon Highlander colleagues and so many others with whom he has worked will be delighted for him and I know he will be immensely proud of receiving this great honour in recognition of his achievements.' Mr Glennie and his colleagues made progress after landing in Normandy, but he and his company were ambushed by Germans while making their way towards Caen. Several were killed or wounded, but the rest managed to take temporary cover in a roadside trench as German Panzer armoured vehicles approached. He said: 'The tank came past and it was just spraying us, but we managed to keep our heads down. 'I remember thinking, 'I don't like this' and I jumped out and ran up the road to try and get them when they came round a bend. 'So I'm standing there, firing my gun and, all of a sudden, I felt shots hit me in my right arm and the gun just dropped out of my hand.' It was the end of his war. After recovering in hospital, Jim was transferred along with hundreds of other POWs to Stalag IV-B in Germany. His first day in the camp was his 19th birthday. Mr Glennie met a former German soldier, Karl Hunnold, at the museum in 2017 and the two men, who had previously been on opposite sides, embraced each other warmly. He said at the time: 'Although we can't speak to each other directly because of the language barrier, we can both understand each other because of what we've been through.' And Mr Hunnold responded: 'I hold the Gordon Highlanders in very high regard in my memory, they treated me very well. 'And I am proud to consider Jim as a friend.' John McLeish, chief executive of the museum, told the Press & Journal: 'Jim's military service is well-documented. Less well known is that this year sees him complete 30 years of volunteering at The Gordon Highlanders Museum. 'This is quite remarkable and the early days saw Jim undertake a wide range of duties to get things ready for us opening. 'Fast forward to today and we are very fortunate to see Jim volunteering as a member of the Tuesday team, week in, week out. 'While exceptionally humble and down to earth, Jim is willing to talk to all visitors – young and old – about his experiences. 'Jim is admired and respected by all his colleagues. Put simply, he is our hero.'
The National
02-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
I welcome defence support, but watch out for Unionist claims
The SNP has consistently called for more investment in our conventional forces and for them to be reorganised more appropriately for the modern threats we face. We have been unequivocal in support for our troops and for them to be properly supported in both pay, equipment and conditions. Our defence sector plays a key role in Scotland's economy and we are steadfast in our commitment to joining Nato as an independent country. We support increased defence spending and in that respect, Scotland's outlook is international. We have a part to play and we will never be inhibited by any dogma that would prevent us bolstering the security of these islands and our friends across Europe. READ MORE: Nigel Farage dodges public and press in shambolic Hamilton by-election visit Now, Sir Keir Starmer is right about one thing – the world has changed and our response must match the scale of that change. And it is that truth that makes it all the more frustrating to read Scottish Labour politicians celebrating the Strategic Defence Review as if it is something us Scots should be thankful to Westminster for. These are our armed forces as much as they are any government's in London and they are not something to be used as a political boast. But let's get this absolutely right. For decades Scottish regiments have been systemically hollowed out by Westminster with conventional forces decimated under successive Tory and Labour governments, and personnel left without the equipment, pay and support they deserve. Westminster politicians have a shameful history of breaking their promises and imposing cuts to Scotland's armed forces rather than the investment they need. Gurkhas with members of the Gordon Highlanders storming the Dargai Heights in 1897 during The Tirah CampaignTake the Gordon Highlanders, the men that Churchill described as 'the finest regiment in the world'. Part of the 51st Highland Division, they stayed behind in France after the evacuations of Dunkirk. Well, the Gordon Highlanders were ended in 1994 by the Tories. And what of the Black Watch? The famous regiment, that formed part of that same brave 51st Highland Division of St Valery-en-Caux, were lumped in with other Scottish regiments in a cost-cutting exercise and were saved only at the personal intervention of the late Queen. Fast forward to 2014 and Westminster promised 13 new Type 26 frigates would be built in Scotland, with contracts to be signed in the event of a No vote. After the vote, the number of Type 26 frigates was downgraded to eight. The same old Westminster story when it comes to Scotland and defence. So while welcome, the Strategic Defence Review is not a green light for Unionist myth building around their support for Scotland's armed forces. We will take no lectures from Scottish Labour politicians who sat idly by as every false promise was made or as every regiment was allowed to fall. The SNP will always put Scotland's interests first and that is firmly extended to our armed forces and our defence sector. But most importantly what the media discussion on the Strategic Defence Review utterly lacked was any fuller perspective on the UK's realistic position in the international arena. Brexit has left us isolated globally and we've felt that most acutely on defence. That was put into stark focus when, to put it bluntly, the EU penned an €800bn defence agreement and the UK wasn't even in the room. READ MORE: Nigel Farage visit to Aberdeen met by anti-racism protesters While Donald Trump's US has become an increasingly unreliable ally, it's blindingly obvious that our security and prosperity lies in forging a closer bind with Europe. That's what the SNP has consistently called for. Yet instead, in fear of Farage, Sir Keir Starmer has kept Broken, Brexit Britain alone in the corner, hoping to bargain small fry agreements with the EU from the outside. A near impossible position. We will never shy away from our role in enhancing our national security, supporting our European allies and welcoming the role the defence sector plays in our economy. In that context, what we need now is urgent clarity over exactly when Scotland's armed forces will get the investment they need and for the Labour Government to realise that if the world has changed, surely their position on remaining isolated from Europe must too.
Press and Journal
19-05-2025
- Press and Journal
Public invited to step onboard as Norwegian war ship arrives in Aberdeen
Members of the public will be able to step onboard a Norwegian war ship while she is berthed in Aberdeen. The S/S Hestmanden is the only preserved cargo vessel to have sailed in convoys during both the First World War and Second World War. The almost-200ft merchant ship is now taking part in a month-long peacetime convoy across the North Sea to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day. After stops in Lerwick, Stromness and Kirkwall, S/S Hestmanden has arrived at Jamieson's Quay in Aberdeen North Harbour. She will be open to the public from tomorrow until Friday between 11am and 5pm, with admission free for all visitors. Those who step onboard will be able to immerse themselves in exhibitions and storytelling to learn about the vessel's 114-year history. Nicknamed 'the lucky ship', S/S Hestmanden helped secure medicine, food and fuel, as well as ammunition and weapons to aid the resistance during the Second World War. She and a flotilla of fishing boats were also used to smuggle soldiers, secret agents and freedom fighters between Norway and Shetland. On their return journeys, they brought back refugees and soldiers fleeing the Nazi-occupied country. The dangerous route was famously dubbed the 'Shetland Bus'. Captain Jack Cowie of the Gordon Highlanders was the liaison officer for the fishing boats in transit through Aberdeen. His daughter Isabell Jack said: 'Obviously it was a secret operation so not much was said to us as children. 'But Dad was well liked and had a nice manner about him, with a warm sense of humour, and integrity. 'I think this helped him in this role. 'Dad was proud of what he did, but he wasn't a man to make a fuss. 'After the war ended, he returned to his job working for the bank, until he retired.' After leaving Aberdeen, S/S Hestmanden will visit Edinburgh and Newcastle.
BBC News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Scotland's moments of remembrance to mark VE Day
Scotland is paying tribute to World War Two heroes with events around the country to mark the 80th anniversary of VE dawn, Scotland's National Piper played a lament to the fallen on Portobello Beach in Edinburgh.A service of thanksgiving is taking place at Glasgow Cathedral, with guests from the military, veterans' groups, emergency services and religious events include a street party for veterans at the Erskine nursing home and a commemoration by the Gordon Highlanders in Aberdeen. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes will attended the Glasgow ceremony, while Scottish Secretary Ian Murray is visiting Lady Haig's Poppy Factory in political party leaders paid tribute ahead of First Ministers' Questions at Minister John Swinney said: "The lessons and the suffering of the Second World War must be remembered today."He offered a personal tribute to his own uncle, Thomas Hunter, who was killed in the conflict in Italy, 35 days before the end of World War Two. Elsewhere, a memorial is being held in Lerwick, Shetland, after six historic boats arrived there from Norway on Tuesday. They sailed in commemoration of the Shetland Bus that operated between Scotland and Norway during the World War Two, the small fishing boats delivered valuable cargo to Europe and carried refugees fleeing the occupation on the return Castle was among the UK buildings that have been illuminated red in the run-up to the Scottish government's Victoria Quay and St Andrew's House buildings in Edinburgh have also been lit up as part of the events mark 80 years to the day since the formal acceptance by the Allies of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender on 8 May brought World War Two in Europe to an end after more than five years of fighting.
