An Army reservist has undertaken an emotional pilgrimage to the Dutch island where his grandfather fought through floodwaters to help liberate Europe from Nazi occupation.
A Personal Pilgrimage
Colour Sergeant James Gould, 51, from Glasgow, serves with 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (6 SCOTS). He recently retraced the footsteps of his grandfather, Private Thomas Polson, during a battlefield study named Exercise Lowland Poppy.
The visit coincided with the 81st anniversary of Operation Infatuate, the Allied landings that liberated the island of Walcheren in November 1944. Pte Polson fought in this crucial battle but rarely spoke about his wartime experiences before his death in 1999.
The Battle for Walcheren
Operation Infatuate formed part of the wider Battle of the Scheldt, a British and Canadian offensive that lasted a week. The strategic objective was to open the port of Antwerp for vital Allied supplies and secure access routes toward Berlin.
Allied troops faced extremely challenging conditions, fighting through flooded streets to capture a heavily fortified hotel used as headquarters by German garrison commander Oberst Reinhardt. The Hotel Britannia was surrounded by trenches, bunkers, and machine gun posts before the German commander surrendered along with 600 prisoners on November 3, 1944.
The offensive included the 7th/9th Royal Scots – part of the 52nd (Lowland) Division – with Pte Polson participating in the fierce combat.
Family Legacy of Service
Speaking ahead of Remembrance Sunday, Mr Gould shared his profound connection to the experience. "It was incredible to walk the same ground my grandad did," he said. "He never really spoke about it when I was growing up, so to stand where he once stood really brought it home."
In 1994, his grandfather had returned to the Netherlands for the 50th anniversary of the offensive. Mr Gould recently followed that same route, finding the experience deeply personal rather than merely professional.
He noted that his grandfather remained an Army reservist in the post-war years while running three barber shops in Portobello. "I like to think he took some of that Army precision with him, the discipline, the care, the attention to detail," Mr Gould reflected.
The family's military tradition extends beyond his grandfather. Mr Gould discovered his great-grandfather, Charles Fisher, fought in the Battle of Passchendaele during the First World War with the King's Own Scottish Borderers. His uncle and brother also served in the military, creating a remarkable four-generation legacy of service.
Mr Gould himself joined the Army reserves unexpectedly at age 21 in 1996 while training to become a baker. "I told my friend to stop the car, and just ran in," he recalled of spotting a Glasgow recruitment office. Nearly three decades later, he continues to serve as 6 SCOTS ReMSO (regimental mentoring support officer), having deployed on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He's now working with the Royal Scots Museum to piece together his family's extensive military history. "It really makes you realise how strong the link between service and family can be," Mr Gould said, noting the special connection that the battalions his relatives served with have now become part of The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Reflecting on standing in the same spot where his grandfather fought, Mr Gould found profound meaning in the continuity. "History is part of who we are. You can't understand what we do now without understanding what they did then – and to carry that legacy forward means a lot."
