206807 Pte. George William Anderson British Army 2nd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders from:London My Dad, George Anderson, was with the 2nd Seaforths at St Valery,51st Highland Division. He told me that at the surrender to the Germans in June 1940, the CO. Lt Col R.F.Nason spoke to the battalion and invited any man who wanted to escape to join an escape party being led by an officer. Otherwise, the battalion were going to be POW's for the duration. My old man volunteered and away they went through German lines. He had various adventures and close shaves with both Germans and French Nazi sympathisers, but the Maquis and the Resistance looked out for them and he made it back to the UK where he was sent up to Fort George to be an instructor to recruits. Not fancying that, or the 3 stripes that went with it, he applied to get back to active service, but to his disappointment was posted to the Service Corps near Swindon. After D Day he was back ashore in France and then Belgium and Germany until the War ended.
Pre-war he had been in India, Egypt and Palestine with the 1st Battalion and his Company Commander was the same R.F.Nason, only that time he was a Major.
I would be most interested to hear from any ex-51st HD sweats who might know a bit more about the escape,or who perhaps knew my Dad who died in 1996.
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