T H E C O V E N A N T E R
Will won numerous awards and produced and treated with respect even though the
many Gold Albums during his career and fraternisation ban was in full force at this
information about him is available on the time. Our Commanding Officer considered
Internet. He truly was a great musician of him to be a great musician for whom he
his time. had plans and in a very short time musical
At the end of the war, my battalion, instruments were found and Will was
the 2nd Cameronian Scottish Rifles had asked to form a band from local musicians
left Lubeck, N.E. Germany in May1945 to entertain the troops. This he did and
to take up another position en-route to started with five instrumentalists.
Bad Gandersheim, which was our final Dances were held every week, mainly
destination. We arrived at the large town of in a large hall in Gandersheim which was
Stendal, which gives birth to my story. named ‘The Bay Horse’ in honour of our
As is the case in occupational procedures, C.O. who had commandeered a bay horse
when a move is made an advance party is whilst in Stendal and always rode it onto
sent ahead to reconnoitre and gather as the battalion parade ground. The dances
much information as possible to determine were for O.R.’s, CPL’s, SGT’s and Officers
population, attitudes, accommodation and and as a senior NCO I was able to attend
other facilities. The Intelligence Officer them with my wife to be Waltraut. Dances
of our party quickly established that Will were successfully arranged but Will soon
Glahe, who was held in high esteem by the realised the his polka music was currently
Germans was in Stendal Hospital recovering ‘out’ as the troops favoured quick-step,
from war wounds that he had sustained as foxtrot and waltzes to which they could
a soldier of the Wehrmacht.
The morale in the hospital was very low
and P.O.W.’s, doctors and nurses lived in
fear of their lives knowing full well that
when we left the Russians would take
over. From information gathered, it was
well known that the Russians were still
destroying, pillaging, raping and shooting
those people that did not comply to their
demands, even though the war was over.
The Russian policy was clear: ‘the war may
be over, but for us (Russians), it’s pay back
time’.
Understandably, most Germans wished
and hoped to escape to the West. On
hearing this, our Commanding Officer,
Lt. Col. J. Alexander, OBE, in his wisdom
decided to evacuate the entire hospital
staff and P.O.W.’s in reply to their begging
requests.
Within 14 days we moved out of Stendal
and the German’s fears were visually
confirmed as they saw the Russians arriving,
knocking down doors, smashing windows,
forcing entry into houses and dragging out
the women and girls. Unfortunately we
were unable to intervene as the Russians
were our allies but the atmosphere was
tense and uncertain.
We finally arrived at Bad Gandersheim
with our evacuees and the hospital staff
were transferred to the Casualty Clearing
Station and the ex German P.O.W.’s were
given the option to work for the Battalion
or to make their own way in the West.
Will Glahe - Inscribed “” In Remembrance of Bad
Will Glahe was found accommodation
Gandershein
18
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76