Lecture | Bill Bradford’s Escape From St. Valery

Tuesday 20th May
6.30pm-8.00pm

As a 27 year old Adjutant Bill Bradford found himself in command of the remnants of 1^st Battalion The Black Watch in the hours before the surrender of the 51^st Highland Division at St. Valery-en-Caux in June 1940.  In this illustrated talk we hear, from his son Andrew, of action in 1940 from the Maginot Line to St. Valery and how he escaped after being a POW for a week. What then follows is a year of adventure in France, Spain and North Africa before he was able to return to British territory and fight again, finally commanding 5^th Battalion The Black Watch from Normandy to Germany.

Andrew Bradford ran Kincardine Estate for 42 years from 1979. After his father’s death in 1996 his mother produced a box of documents pertaining to Bill Bradford’s escape and this started Andrew’s investigation which resulted in the publication of his book Escape from St. Valéry-en-Caux in 2009. He discovered that his father had used a simple code in letters to his parents which revealed another layer of intrigue.

6.30pm Drinks Reception (Drink included in ticket price), 7.00pm Lecture Commences

£11 non members | £9 Friends

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