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Donald Smith took this picture of his friends in the 51st Highland Division before the war, all of whom died at St Valery-en-Caux
Remembrance of the 51st Highland Division, 1940
Jun 12
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
“I started thinking about dance tunes to keep my mind clear of grisly thoughts, and I began to get this idea for a dance."
~ Lieutenant J. E. M. Atkinson of the 7th Battalion, 51st Division, POW
Eighty years ago today, at 10 a.m. on June 12, 1940, the 51st Highland Division was captured in the French fishing port of St. Valery-en-Caux. This somber moment followed the more widely remembered evacuation of Dunkirk, which took place between May 27 and June 4, 1940. That operation rescued over 300,000 Allied soldiers from the beaches of northern France and became a symbol of resilience and unity during the darkest days of World War II.
But while Dunkirk dominated the headlines, another desperate struggle was unfolding just 80 miles to the south. On June 4—the very day after the final boats left Dunkirk—ten thousand Scots, members of the 51st Highland Division, launched a counteroffensive in Normandy to push back the advancing German forces threatening Paris. Among them were the 7th and 8th Battalions of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, fighting under the command of the 10th French Army and General Maxime Weygand.
Unlike the rest of the British Expeditionary Force, the 51st was ordered to remain behind. The goal was to support the French and encourage them to continue the fight. But it was a doomed effort. As German forces pressed forward, the division was cut off from retreat, isolated without reinforcements, and forced to fight on with dwindling supplies and ammunition. Despite their bravery and determination, they were ultimately overwhelmed at St. Valery-en-Caux.
Many survivors faced an arduous march of over 1,000 miles to German POW camps, where they would remain for the duration of the war. It was during this long and bitter captivity that the soldiers created a lasting tribute to their fallen comrades and enduring spirit: the Scottish country dance known as The Reel of the 51st Division. ❤️ 🎗️ 🇬🇧 🏴
Reel of the 51st Division
The evacuation of Dunkirk, which took place between 27 May and 4 June 1940 during World War II, is the backdrop for the dance "Reel of the 51st Division."
The evacuation rescued 300,000 fighting men. It also enabled a morale-boosting, positive spin on what had been a military debacle. Much less known - and not at all celebrated - is the fact that on 4 June, 1940, the day after the evacuation from Dunkirk was completed, ten thousand Scots in Normandy launched an attack on the Germans.
For recent short readings on this subject, see the following:
Jock Morrison (2015), "After Dunkirk, Churchill abandoned the Highlanders at St. Valery"
Charles S. Grant (2010), 'Sacrificed' Scots soldiers remembered'
From "History in an Hour":
"One of the most spectacular Allied successes of World War Two was the evacuation of more than three hundred thousand British, French, and Belgian troops from Dunkirk between May 27 and June 4, 1940 . The men had been cut off and surrounded by the German army, and would have been slaughtered or captured if not for a hastily assembled flotilla of more than eight hundred military and civilian vessels, which achieved what became known as the Miracle of Dunkirk.
Among the troops fighting to hold off the Germans and make the evacuation possible were the 7th and 8th Battalions of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, part of the 51st Highland Division. Their officers read them these orders: “You will hold this position; you will either be killed, wounded or made a prisoner of war.”
At 3 p.m. on June 5, twenty-six-year old Lieutenant J. E. M. Atkinson of the 7th Battalion, surrounded by German troops who had just shot off his wristwatch, surrendered near the French town of Saigneville. He was not alone. After Dunkirk, the 51st Division was charged with recapturing the Abbeville bridgehead on the Somme, but they were overwhelmed and suffered heavy casualties.
The captured Highlanders were marched a thousand miles to Oflag VII-C prison camp at Laufen Castle near Salzburg. Scottish country dancing had been a regular part of Jimmy Atkinson’s life at home, and he later recalled that during the long march, “I started thinking about dance tunes to keep my mind clear of grisly thoughts, and I began to get this idea for a dance” that would symbolize Scotland and the Highland Division. The figures that came to his mind were based on the diagonals of the St. Andrew’s Cross on the badge of the 51st Division."
For more details on the origins of the dance, click the photo below of the men of the 51st division in France, 1940, or visit https://my.strathspey.org/u/anselm/stories/reelofthe51st/.
Below: Men of the 7th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 51st Highland Division, Millbosche, 7 June 1940
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
