A bronze monument honouring British soldiers who lost their lives during the liberation of France has been stolen, just one week before commemorations for the 82nd anniversary of D-Day. The one-tonne statue, depicting a piper from the 51st Highland Division during the Second World War, vanished from its location in Bréville-les-Monts, north of Caen, on Friday.
Theft and Investigation
The statue was a tribute to Scottish infantrymen who stormed Juno Beach in Normandy on June 6, 1944, only to die in fierce combat a few days later. Visitors from Britain were scheduled to gather around the statue next Saturday for the anniversary, but instead, French police are now conducting a criminal investigation to locate the statue and bring the thieves to justice.
An investigating source stated, 'The statue was reported missing early on Friday morning; it was forced off its plinth and clearly loaded onto a vehicle. A huge amount of effort went into the planned theft of a statue, which will be hard to conceal.' An early theory is that scrap metal dealers intended to smash the statue to pieces to sell the bronze.
Historical Significance
The statue was erected some 15 years ago in the grounds of the Château St Come, where the 51st Highlanders fought alongside elements of the 6th Airborne Division against German troops. The vastly outnumbered Highlanders, mainly from the 5th Battalion of the Black Watch Regiment, lost 110 men in just two days as they helped secure the bridgehead across the River Orne. The lane leading to the château became so dangerous it was known as 'Death Ally'. The site is close to Pegasus Bridge, a memorial to British paratroopers who landed in gliders before being supported by troops from the invasion beaches.
Such scenes, including a famous one with a Scottish piper, were depicted in the classic war film The Longest Day, starring Richard Todd, Sean Connery, and John Wayne. Scottish units were famous for taking pipers into battle, playing tunes like 'Highland Laddie', 'The Road to the Isles', and 'All the Blue Bonnets are Over the Border'. The sound of the bagpipes helped keep units together in the chaos of battle and lifted morale, while enemy veterans later recalled how frightening the sound could be.
Community Reaction
A spokesman for Bréville-les-Monts town council expressed deep sadness, saying, 'It is with great sadness that we discovered the disappearance of the statue of the bagpipe player on the monument to the 51st Highland Infantry Division. This was a shameful act, just one week before the D-Day commemorations.' The council has filed a police report, and the investigation is being led by officers in Merville-Franceville.
