In the last week we just had Veterans Day in the USA and the Lest We Forget Armistice in the UK and all over the World to remember the fallen in the two World Wars. I finally got around to talking about my Dad's service in World War Two on an instagram link and you can see that by hitting this link. LestWeForget
Donald Fraser Sutherland, 1942
My father, Donald
Fraser Sutherland joined the war early in 1938 because he believed
that Hitler was dangerous and must be stopped at all costs. He joined
the Territorial Army, signing with the Royal Artillery as a gunner
in command of a 25 pound machine as part of their Anti-Tank Division. He
was also in the famous Scottish regiment known as the glorious 51st
Highland Division.
Saint Valery, Normandie
Saint Valery, Normandie
But for the Highland
Division the start of the war in 1940 was not a very happy one when they were
defeated by the German General Rommel at Saint Valerie where many of
the infantry of the division were taken prisoner for the whole duration of the war. My father was lucky in that it seemed as a member of the Royal Artillery HQ squad of the Division he failed to be captured in a position further from the infantry. As a result he
was able to make his way back to British lines, then rejoin the
Highland Division when it was reformed for the battle of El Alamien
in North Africa.
Battle of El Alamein
Battle of El Alamein
Of the battle of El
Alamein my father described the way he witnessed the many tank
battles. He was particularly upset about one battle in which he saw
the soldiers try to get out of the tank with no means but to die in a
terrible state on fire. These events contributed to his shell shock
which he still suffered from sometimes. However he was proud of the challenges he experienced as a gunner at the battle of El Alamein, which was the largest continuous bombardment of world war two. Once they loaded one set of gun shells they set them up again with no breaks creating a wall of bombshells against the Nazi army. It was a resounding victory for the British army, which changed the fate of the entire war in favour of the British allies.
Battle of Monte Casino, Italy
After the North Africa
campaign for which he got the Africa Star Medal, he went on to Sicily
where he sent a postcard home, which we still have today. The rest of the Italian campaign was
marred by his memory of the battle of Monte Cassino, where the
bombardment of a Monastery on a hilltop, took 40,000 deaths. At this
point in the war I think he felt that the command was not in touch
with the difficulties there on the ground. However Montgomery was so
impressed with the Highland Division that when Churchill wanted to
move the war to Normandy, Montgomery said he would not go there
without the Highland Division behind him. He wanted them to rest first after the
Italian campaign and then support his plans to retake
France.
Falaise Gap, Normandy
Finally Donnie went
onto service in Normandy in 1944 when it must have been a joy to go
back to Saint Valerie, this time as an act of Victory then
Liberation. After that success he went on to the Falaise Gap, which
turned out to be a very difficult battle for him because he gained a
shrapnel wound in the neck while also contracting tuberculosis at the
same time. There he was commended for staying at his post during
friendly fire from the British RAF planes. He told the story about
his army officer shouting to him during the bombing of the lines,
saying' Sutherland will you bloody well get out of there now'.
Confirmation that even the officers thought war could be very unfair
at times.
He found the Falaise battle to be a test as a soldier so he wrote to the High Command to tell them, the positioning of the army was all wrong and had he believed, contributed to the high number of casualties there.
Victory March Berlin 1945
Due to his illness he was sad he did not make it to the Victory March of the Highland Division in Berlin but on his final discharge service card was written in bold letters 'Very Good' Service. He was discharged in the summer of 1945.
He found the Falaise battle to be a test as a soldier so he wrote to the High Command to tell them, the positioning of the army was all wrong and had he believed, contributed to the high number of casualties there.
Victory March Berlin 1945
Due to his illness he was sad he did not make it to the Victory March of the Highland Division in Berlin but on his final discharge service card was written in bold letters 'Very Good' Service. He was discharged in the summer of 1945.
You can see my short dedication to my father for VE Day on You Tube here
Here is the trailer for my short documentary about his army service, which will premiere soon on my you Tube Channel. You can see it here at this Link
Here is the trailer for my short documentary about his army service, which will premiere soon on my you Tube Channel. You can see it here at this Link