The Wartime Memories Project - The Second War

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259595 Pte. William Downie British Army 8th Btn. Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders from:Nairn William Downie is my father. He never spoke about the War except a little before his death when he suffered from loss of vision and dementia. What I know is gleaned from his army records and from my mother after his death. He joined up at Stirling Castle in 1939. He had been working for British Aluminium in Kinlochleven so went with the men from that area. He was twenty. He was sent to BEF in France 24th of April 1940 returning 16th of June 1940 having avoided capture, possibly from Le Havre. He remained in the Scottish Borders from June 40 until 22nd of October 1942. It was here he met my mother, Elspet Jackson, at a fund raising fete in Ancrum. She said she fell in love with his smile. He managed to get word to her he was about to embark to North Africa. She travelled to Perth but couldn't find her way out of the station and was helped by two military police only to find him hiding under a lorry as he was obviously AWOL. He sailed from Gourock and was with the 8th Army in North Africa, then Italy where he disembarked at Taranto. The only story he ever told was finding, in an Italian port, a Nairn fishing boat called The Highland Lassie, which had been owned by his family. He was delighted by the free lunch he got for telling the current owner the history of the boat. He was transferred on 22nd of February 1944 to 6th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders and was wounded in action on 12th of April 1944. He continued to serve with MEF until 5th of March 1945, then was in North Western Europe until 23rd of June 1946. Ten days leave allowed him to get married on VE Day in Nairn. He was demobbed on 4th of July 1946, with an exemplary record and the rank of Cpl, but was recalled for training with the Camerons in 1951. I now correspond with the grandson and his family with whom he was billeted, in Borsbeke, Belgium. He, then my mother, now me, have exchanged Christmas cards with the family since 1945. He said they were incredibly kind to him. In North Africa Wedding photo on VE Day Patricia Hossack Add to this record.  Related Content: 6th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Battle of France and The Low Countries 1940 Western Desert Campaign in North Africa Italian Campaign Can you help us to add to our records? Add a record to our website. The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area? If so please let us know. Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice. Contact us. Celebrate your own Family History Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc. Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.

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