Reel of the 51st Division
by Michael Young
On 12th June, 1940, the 51st Highland Division, last remnants of the British Expeditionary Force in France, surrendered to superior German armoured forces surrounding them at St Valery-en-Caux. In this small fishing port, Major General Victor Fortune surrendered to Major General Erwin Rommel, who was to gain much fame later in the Western Desert campaign in North Africa.
Although part of the Division escaped by various means back to England, the great majority – some thousands of men, the pride of the Highlands – marched off into captivity, from which only the end of the war in 1945 released them.
Among the 51st Division prisoners was Lieutenant J.E.M. (Jimmy) Atkinson of the 7th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders who had been captured a week before St Valery soon after the German breakthrough. He had done a little Country Dancing in his home town of Alloa before the war and as he was trudging along the dusty roads of Holland, he occupied his mind occasionally by thinking of Scottish Country Dancing.
Idea
The seed of an idea came to him and he formulated the basic outline of a dance, the centerpiece of which was balancing in line diagonally, this represented the St Andrew’s Cross, which members of the Division wore on their uniforms. The famous HD flash had been removed for security reasons before going to France to join the rest of the B.E.F. The diagonal movement was merely a variation of the opening bars of ‘Scottish Reform’ and the circle which followed it was straight out of ‘Hamilton House’.
After several weeks of weary travel through France and Belgium the prisoners arrived at Wesel, on the Rhine, and they were sorted and sent by train to a variety of Prisoner of War Camps in Bavaria, Poland and Germany. With a number of other POWs from the Highland Division, Jimmy Atkinson eventually arrived in Laufen in Bavaria, near the border at Salzburg. This was OFLAG VIIC, their home for some months.
Shortly after their arrival, Lieut. A.P.J. (Peter) Oliver of the 4th Seaforth (ex-London Scottish) started up a Highland Dancing class, which Jimmy Atkinson rather nervously joined and, although their detailed knowledge of Scottish Country Dancing was limited, they formed a Reel Club. They were well supported and the Club continued through the five years of captivity, even though the leading characters were moved between the different POW Camps.
Dancing
In Laufen, dancing took place on the top landing of the prison hospital block; this was the only decent area away from the overcrowded areas of the rest of the prison. Officers met after lunch, normally three times a week, and although the poor prison diet limited attendance at first, about 20 appeared regularly after the Red Cross food parcels started arriving.
All musical instruments had been captured or destroyed by the Germans, so the leader either called out the tempo of the dance, or whistled the tune, not always accurately. When they were at Posen in Poland, chanters came through the Red Cross, and at Biberach a squeeze-box appeared, which greatly improved the musical accompaniment.
In 1940 it was a major problem to remember the steps of all the different Country Dances, and although the more standard dances were well known, some improvisation used to take place. To obviate any possible criticism of inaccuracies, it seemed to the POWs that it would be a good idea to write their own dances. Later in the war, of course, SCDS books were sent by post and the problem was solved.
About November, 1940, Jimmy Atkinson put his ideas for the dance to Peter Oliver, and together they worked it out on paper. A trial run was carried out by the Club members, with some success, on the concrete floor of the prison block.
By chance Atkinson and Oliver discovered among senior prisoners was a Lieutenant Colonel Tom Harris Hunter who had been the Commander Royal Army Service Corps (CRASC) of the 51st Highland Division until the Division was captured. Before the war he had been Chairman of the Perth Branch of the Society, and during the war his wife, an enthusiastic dancer and organiser, was Secretary of the same Branch.
Lt Col Harris Hunter willingly joined the Club, but because the steps of the opening eight bars did not accord with SCDS custom he suggested casting off three couples (because of the five couple set) and leading up to corners, patterned after the first eight bars of ‘Lady susan Stewart’s Reel.’ This appeared to be the best start for the dance and it was written in.
Hector Ross (4th Seaforths) who was both a piper and leader of the camp mouth organ band, composed a 6/8 tune for the dance, but unfortunately this has been lost. Dugald Stewart (8th Argylls) also composed a tune for the dance at the end of 1944, but it arrived back in the UK in 1945, too late to be accepted.
Tuition
Just as the Reel Club was polishing up the dance, and learning quite a number of others under the knowledgeable tuition of Lt Col Harris Hunter, most of the junior officers in Laufen were sent to Stalag XXID at Posen in Poland, and later to Biberach in Bavaria. They eventually rejoined each other in the autumn of 1941 in OFLAG VIIB at Warburg in Westphalia.
At Halowe’en, the dance was demonstrated to Major General Victor Fortune in the No 2 dining hall. That was its first public performance, as a mark of esteem and affection felt by the Highland Division POWs for all the selfless work done by him on their behalf. The GOC approved the dance and its name ‘The 51st Country Dance (Laufen Reel)’.
Both Harris Hunter and Jimmy Atkinson sent details of the dance to Scotland, one to his wife in Perth and the other to his fiancée in Easter Ross. It was clear from the absence of comment in letter from home that the letters had not arrived and on investigation it was discovered that the German censor had delayed the, believing the hieroglyphics to be a cunningly coded message.
As Harris Hunter was ‘paymaster’ for the POWs he took advantage of his contacts and arranged for a demonstration of the dance to be given to the German security officer. Jimmy Atkinson’s letter never reached home, but Harris hunter’s reached Perth safely.
Printed
Mrs Harris Hunter, assisted by Miss M.M. Scrimgoeur, worked out the dance with their members in a small wartime club in Perth. Mrs Hunter had a number of copies printed and distributed and to her astonishment she began to receive requests for particulars from all over the country, even as far south as London. The sale of copies by Miss Milligan raised over £150 for the Red Cross, of which £60 went to Mrs Hunter who sent gramophones etc out to the prisoners.
It was about this time that the title of the dance was changed, and it now seems impossible to define details exactly. It is known that letters from Perth talked about ‘The St Valery Reel’ which probably sounded a more marketable name than the rather unwieldy original. For certain a wartime Blue Label record was produced which referred to the ‘St Valery Reel.’
It is equally known that the POWs did not wish a defeat to be recorded in the title of their dance, but they felt that the 51st Division, would never be forgotten. It is therefore likely that when Miss Milligan wrote to Harris Hunter to ask him what he wanted it called, the view was that it should be called the ‘Reel of the 51st Division’ . This was certainly a more proper name for a dance written by soldiers for soldiers.
To begin with, the SCDS would not accept the dance, but the dance received a lot of press publicity. It is commonly believed that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth now the Queen Mother, saw the reel danced and that, being interested in the reel and its stark but romantic origins, she expressed the hope that the Society would incorporate it in their next book. Unfortunately it is not now possible to confirm the authenticity of this belief any more that it is that the dance was demonstrated before Her Majesty in the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Queen Mother was approached in 1980 on these matters but she cannot recall any personal involvement.
The Executive Committee felt that, in victory year it was most appropriate to include the dance in their book (the 13th). It was at this time that the decision was made to bring the dance into line with SCD custom, and it was adapted for a four couple set. No longer did the dancers cast off three places.
In the same way as the title changed several times, the tune also changed. As has been mentioned, Hector Ross composed the first tune and towards the end of the war Dugald Stewart composed another which has never really been used. For most of the time the POWs danced the reel to ‘My Love She’s but a Lassie Yet!’ The tune which has become associated with the dance, however, is ‘The Drunken Piper’ which almost certainly was the one used by the Perth Branch during the war, and is now the ‘recognised’ tune for the ‘Reel of the 51st Division’.
Box and Fiddle
September 1983
Although part of the Division escaped by various means back to England, the great majority – some thousands of men, the pride of the Highlands – marched off into captivity, from which only the end of the war in 1945 released them.
Among the 51st Division prisoners was Lieutenant J.E.M. (Jimmy) Atkinson of the 7th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders who had been captured a week before St Valery soon after the German breakthrough. He had done a little Country Dancing in his home town of Alloa before the war and as he was trudging along the dusty roads of Holland, he occupied his mind occasionally by thinking of Scottish Country Dancing.
Idea
The seed of an idea came to him and he formulated the basic outline of a dance, the centerpiece of which was balancing in line diagonally, this represented the St Andrew’s Cross, which members of the Division wore on their uniforms. The famous HD flash had been removed for security reasons before going to France to join the rest of the B.E.F. The diagonal movement was merely a variation of the opening bars of ‘Scottish Reform’ and the circle which followed it was straight out of ‘Hamilton House’.
After several weeks of weary travel through France and Belgium the prisoners arrived at Wesel, on the Rhine, and they were sorted and sent by train to a variety of Prisoner of War Camps in Bavaria, Poland and Germany. With a number of other POWs from the Highland Division, Jimmy Atkinson eventually arrived in Laufen in Bavaria, near the border at Salzburg. This was OFLAG VIIC, their home for some months.
Shortly after their arrival, Lieut. A.P.J. (Peter) Oliver of the 4th Seaforth (ex-London Scottish) started up a Highland Dancing class, which Jimmy Atkinson rather nervously joined and, although their detailed knowledge of Scottish Country Dancing was limited, they formed a Reel Club. They were well supported and the Club continued through the five years of captivity, even though the leading characters were moved between the different POW Camps.
Dancing
In Laufen, dancing took place on the top landing of the prison hospital block; this was the only decent area away from the overcrowded areas of the rest of the prison. Officers met after lunch, normally three times a week, and although the poor prison diet limited attendance at first, about 20 appeared regularly after the Red Cross food parcels started arriving.
All musical instruments had been captured or destroyed by the Germans, so the leader either called out the tempo of the dance, or whistled the tune, not always accurately. When they were at Posen in Poland, chanters came through the Red Cross, and at Biberach a squeeze-box appeared, which greatly improved the musical accompaniment.
In 1940 it was a major problem to remember the steps of all the different Country Dances, and although the more standard dances were well known, some improvisation used to take place. To obviate any possible criticism of inaccuracies, it seemed to the POWs that it would be a good idea to write their own dances. Later in the war, of course, SCDS books were sent by post and the problem was solved.
About November, 1940, Jimmy Atkinson put his ideas for the dance to Peter Oliver, and together they worked it out on paper. A trial run was carried out by the Club members, with some success, on the concrete floor of the prison block.
By chance Atkinson and Oliver discovered among senior prisoners was a Lieutenant Colonel Tom Harris Hunter who had been the Commander Royal Army Service Corps (CRASC) of the 51st Highland Division until the Division was captured. Before the war he had been Chairman of the Perth Branch of the Society, and during the war his wife, an enthusiastic dancer and organiser, was Secretary of the same Branch.
Lt Col Harris Hunter willingly joined the Club, but because the steps of the opening eight bars did not accord with SCDS custom he suggested casting off three couples (because of the five couple set) and leading up to corners, patterned after the first eight bars of ‘Lady susan Stewart’s Reel.’ This appeared to be the best start for the dance and it was written in.
Hector Ross (4th Seaforths) who was both a piper and leader of the camp mouth organ band, composed a 6/8 tune for the dance, but unfortunately this has been lost. Dugald Stewart (8th Argylls) also composed a tune for the dance at the end of 1944, but it arrived back in the UK in 1945, too late to be accepted.
Tuition
Just as the Reel Club was polishing up the dance, and learning quite a number of others under the knowledgeable tuition of Lt Col Harris Hunter, most of the junior officers in Laufen were sent to Stalag XXID at Posen in Poland, and later to Biberach in Bavaria. They eventually rejoined each other in the autumn of 1941 in OFLAG VIIB at Warburg in Westphalia.
At Halowe’en, the dance was demonstrated to Major General Victor Fortune in the No 2 dining hall. That was its first public performance, as a mark of esteem and affection felt by the Highland Division POWs for all the selfless work done by him on their behalf. The GOC approved the dance and its name ‘The 51st Country Dance (Laufen Reel)’.
Both Harris Hunter and Jimmy Atkinson sent details of the dance to Scotland, one to his wife in Perth and the other to his fiancée in Easter Ross. It was clear from the absence of comment in letter from home that the letters had not arrived and on investigation it was discovered that the German censor had delayed the, believing the hieroglyphics to be a cunningly coded message.
As Harris Hunter was ‘paymaster’ for the POWs he took advantage of his contacts and arranged for a demonstration of the dance to be given to the German security officer. Jimmy Atkinson’s letter never reached home, but Harris hunter’s reached Perth safely.
Printed
Mrs Harris Hunter, assisted by Miss M.M. Scrimgoeur, worked out the dance with their members in a small wartime club in Perth. Mrs Hunter had a number of copies printed and distributed and to her astonishment she began to receive requests for particulars from all over the country, even as far south as London. The sale of copies by Miss Milligan raised over £150 for the Red Cross, of which £60 went to Mrs Hunter who sent gramophones etc out to the prisoners.
It was about this time that the title of the dance was changed, and it now seems impossible to define details exactly. It is known that letters from Perth talked about ‘The St Valery Reel’ which probably sounded a more marketable name than the rather unwieldy original. For certain a wartime Blue Label record was produced which referred to the ‘St Valery Reel.’
It is equally known that the POWs did not wish a defeat to be recorded in the title of their dance, but they felt that the 51st Division, would never be forgotten. It is therefore likely that when Miss Milligan wrote to Harris Hunter to ask him what he wanted it called, the view was that it should be called the ‘Reel of the 51st Division’ . This was certainly a more proper name for a dance written by soldiers for soldiers.
To begin with, the SCDS would not accept the dance, but the dance received a lot of press publicity. It is commonly believed that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth now the Queen Mother, saw the reel danced and that, being interested in the reel and its stark but romantic origins, she expressed the hope that the Society would incorporate it in their next book. Unfortunately it is not now possible to confirm the authenticity of this belief any more that it is that the dance was demonstrated before Her Majesty in the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Queen Mother was approached in 1980 on these matters but she cannot recall any personal involvement.
The Executive Committee felt that, in victory year it was most appropriate to include the dance in their book (the 13th). It was at this time that the decision was made to bring the dance into line with SCD custom, and it was adapted for a four couple set. No longer did the dancers cast off three places.
In the same way as the title changed several times, the tune also changed. As has been mentioned, Hector Ross composed the first tune and towards the end of the war Dugald Stewart composed another which has never really been used. For most of the time the POWs danced the reel to ‘My Love She’s but a Lassie Yet!’ The tune which has become associated with the dance, however, is ‘The Drunken Piper’ which almost certainly was the one used by the Perth Branch during the war, and is now the ‘recognised’ tune for the ‘Reel of the 51st Division’.
Box and Fiddle
September 1983