Prisoners of War 51st Division St Valery Community Publication

St Valery Memories 2018 is 44 page publication with research on Prisoners of War captured in the 51 St Division, at St Valery-en-Caux on 12th June 1940. It  includes accounts given by the Prisoners of War  from the Isle of Lewis, during their 4 years in captivity.

St Valery Memories includes diary accounts of Isle of Lewis men, interviews subsequently given in later years and their photographs of life in the Stalag Camps. There are also more recent contributions of accounts given by families of the men.

90 volunteer soldiers based at the Drill Hall in Stornoway, part of Ross Mountain Anti-Tank Battery left for France in September 1939. Others Lewis men mentioned were regular soldiers in the Seaforth Highlanders

This publication includes a list of men from the Isle of Harris serving in the Cameron Highlanders who were taken prisoner of war at St Valery-en-Caux on 12th June 1940.

The publication was researched by Magaidh Smith with a contribution from  Malcolm MacDonald Stornoway Historical Society. Grateful thanks to all those who contributed information and their enthusiasm to remember those left behind at St Valery.

Available from

St Valery Memories is available from Magaidh Smith, 16 B Achmore magaidhsmith@gmail.com  Cost £8.00 (£10.00 by post)

Publication date January 2018.

 

Review

Thank you for the book it arrived this morning. I have been immersed in it since opening it. It makes quite compelling reading. I am not from Lewis but my father was taken prisoner at St Valery and I am (tentatively) trying to research what happened to him. I thought your book would give some insights into pow experience – which it has!