A group of Scottish veterans are making a poignant trip to Normandy next week to commemorate their fallen comrades.
The men will form part of a 300-strong group of D-Day veterans travelling to Bayeux in France exactly 75 years to the day since the famous landings.
Legion Scotland, Poppyscotland and The Royal British Legion have chartered the cruise ship MV Boudicca, which sets off from Dover tomorrow.
The veterans will take centre stage at national commemorative events in Portsmouth on Wednesday before they retrace their famous journey across the Channel on Thursday.
And in a lasting tribute to the men, Legion Scotland and PoppyScotland have commissioned a series of striking portraits to highlight their remarkable stories about the D-day landings on June 6, 1944.
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The images were taken on a Graflex Super D camera made in the USA in the 1940s.
Among those featured, and who is making the trip, is Aberdeen’s Jim Glennie, a Gordon Highlander.
The 93-year-old was among the troops who landed at Sword Beach. He was shot, wounded and captured not long afterwards, and spent the rest of the war in POW camp Stalag 4b.
Mr Glennie, who continues to carry out voluntary work as a greeter at the Gordon Highlanders Museum, has the following poignant words printed on the wall in the building: “Every soldier had a spade that was part your pack.
“They say your rifle is your best friend, but I replied that my shovel is my best friend.”
Recalling his time as a prisoner of war, Mr Glennie said: “The overriding thing that I remember was the lack of food.
“We had to steal potato skins from the guards’ bin. It amazes me now when I am out for dinner with my family and they order potato skins.”
Claire Armstrong, chief executive of Legion Scotland, said: “D-Day was a pivotal moment in the Second World War.
“The remarkable stories of these six Scottish veterans provide us with an important reminder of both the bravery and tragedy which surrounds that day.
“Legion Scotland is committed to providing comradeship for those in the armed forces community and to ensuring the memory of those who fell in service to our country is remembered forever.
“It will be an honour and a privilege to host these incredible gentlemen, and to recognise the immense contribution made by an entire generation.”
The other Scots who will accompany Mr Glennie are Ian Ritchie Forsyth, 95, from Hamilton; James Churm, 94, from Castle Douglas; Denis Gregson, 94, from North Lanarkshire; John McOwan, 98, from Peebles; and Charles Horne, 93, from Port Seton.
