June 18, 2015
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The Deputy Lord Lieutenant of the Western Isles, Mr George MacDonald, makes the presentation to Staff Sergeant Instructor David Lister.
LCpl Shaun Mowat laying a wreath at the war memorial.
The Deputy Lord-Lieutenant receives the Poppy Appeal Scotland cheque from Cadet Bethany Royds-Cameron (15).
Western Isles Company at the memorial.
Western Isles Cadets from 1st Battalion The Highlanders took part in their annual St Valery commemorative parade on 18 June.
The parade was to remember the men of the 51st Highland Division who fought at St Valery. Most of the division was later captured by German Forces.
While the rest of the British Expeditionary Force was being evacuated from Dunkirk, Churchill placed the 51st Highland Division under French command to hold back the German advance.
After eight days of fighting with no chance of a retreat back to Britain, the Division surrendered to the German forces with more than 10,000 members taken prisoner at St Valery.
They were then marched from France to Germany, via Belgium, following the route over which the Germans had advanced against them. Their destination was Stalag XX-A at Toruń, about 120 miles north-west of Warsaw. Some were loaded into canal barges for part of their journey, but all eventually travelled by train in cattle wagons.
The Cadets marched from St Mary’s Church to the Griminish War Memorial on Benbecula for a service at the war memorial.
The service was conducted by the battalion’s Padre, Reverend Fraser Stewart, and Father Ross Crichton of St Mary’s. After prayer readings, in both English and Gaelic, a Kohima Epitaph was completed by Mr Derek Collins of the Royal British Legion. Wreaths were laid by Cadet Lance Corporal Shaun Mowat (18), from Stornoway Detachment, and Mr Nick Philip, from the Royal British Legion, to a lament played by Norman Johnson of Lochmaddy.
Following the service two presentations were made. The first was by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of the Western Isles, Mr George MacDonald, to Staff Sergeant Instructor David Lister who received a Lord Lieutenant’s Certificate of Meritorious Service for his years of service to the Cadet Forces. The second presentation was made by Cadet Bethany Royds-Cameron (15), of Harris Detachment, to the Deputy Lord Lieutenant for a cheque of £3790 which the company raised on behalf of Poppy Appeal Scotland.
