VE Day: Memories of WWII by those who fought for freedom

The guns finally fell silent 80 years ago. The Second World War was over after six long years of brutal conflict.

On May 8, 1945, Winston Churchill addressed the nation. The German High Command had signed an act of unconditional surrender and Victory in Europe Day was declared.

To mark that historic moment, STV News has gone through the archives to hear from three Scottish veterans who fought bravely for their country.

These heroes are sadly no longer with us. Their voices are now silent.

But their stories live on.

BATTLE OF ST VALERY, FRANCE – JUNE 1940

Signalman Andrew Cheyne, who served in 51st Highland Division, said: “I can tell you that we were drawn up over two miles outside St Valery before we went in, and more or less told to destruct all our equipment and machines, run the motors dry, and after that, gentlemen, you’re on your own.

“On the beach itself was pretty hellish. There was hundreds and hundreds of troops there huddled, no one knowing what to do, running about. And at that point the mortar started.

“That caused more mayhem at that point, they must have hit a petrol tanker because petrol leaped into the air, just like a huge hand of fire, and it fell down on the wounded on the beach.

“Between the screaming of the wounded on the beach, the shelling, mortaring, machine gun fire, I never heard anything like it in my life before, and I don’t want to hear it again.

“A chance shell brought the cliffs down on top of me and brought it down the back of my neck and pushed me over a bit – 15 feet. I didn’t know that then, but I dislocated my hips.

“At that point, two of my muckers came along and saw me there. They pulled me up off the beach itself, up underneath the cliff. Now that’s no doubt that saved my life.”

BATTLE OF ARNHEM, NETHERLANDS – SEPTEMBER 1944

Private Alexander Cortmann, who served in the 3rd Parachute Regiment, recalled the Battle of Arnhem in 1944.

He said: “When you land in Arnhem there’s going to be old men, old home guard people and children. I never saw any children, all I saw were big beefy Germans.

“I remember coming through a street near where we landed, and there was a shoe on the pavement. I kicked the shoe, the foot was still in it, that must be (comrade) Gordon, I looked over this hedge and there was a leg and a thigh, standing, someone said ‘that’s the other bit of Gordon’.

“Now, I wasn’t sick, it was just a terrible sadness came over me. Good lads, wasted, just wasted, they would have made good husbands, good fathers…gone.”

ARCTIC CONVOYS, NORTH SEA – 1941-45

Radio Operator William Shand, who served on HMS Franklin, described travelling among the Arctic convoys.

He said: “The weather was terrible, it was bitterly cold. It was frightening, it was the great unknown. We must have been on the outskirts of the convoy and we heard lots of noises, but the visibility was such, you couldn’t see the end of the point of your nose, as the saying goes.

“When we did get back to Scapa, shortly after that, we were transferred down to the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary, and on June 5 that night, there were pamphlets on our domestic table saying we were going on this wonderful expedition to release Europe.”

D-DAY, FRANCE – JUNE 1944

Bill continued: “Next morning, we woke up, we were in Arromanches, which was the British landing, and all hell was let loose.

“You couldn’t go out of the upper deck because of debris falling and bits of shells.

“We went up the River Orne, and this was with an American boat. They said ‘we will let you go first’. I thought that’s very kind, because it was mined – silly.

“And when we got there that night, we had hospitality from the American boat Coca Cola films. We thought ‘my golly, there’s a war on’. The next morning, they cut adrift from us. Got about 50 yards and they blew up.

“Out of there, or maybe 500 of a compliment, we got about 250 and most of them were dead as well.”

Winston Churchill: “Yesterday morning at 2:41am at General Eisenhower’s headquarters, General Jodl, the representative of the German High Command, signed the act of unconditional surrender. We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing. Today is Victory in Europe Day.”