大象传媒

Pirbright May 1945 was the home base of the Scots Guards. The garrison theatre was packed to capacity and we were enjoying a feature film.

At 20.25 small white print formed over the screen announcing that the war in Europe was at an end. There was just time to read it before it disappeared.

I glanced round to see if anyone else had seen it because there hadn鈥檛 been a movement or a murmur among the many men present who had served in Italy, Africa or Europe. There was absolutely no reaction whatsoever and I really and truly wondered if my imagination had taken control.

The film finished at 21.20. Everyone stood smartly to attention for the National Anthem and then proceeded in deadly silence to leave the theatre and return to the barrack rooms. Although the NAFFI didn鈥檛 close until 21.30, no one made their way towards it.

I was one of the 50 ATS attached to the Guards and as I walked back to the barrack rooms with two friends, I found that I did not want to talk or comment in case I had imagined the words on the screen and as I think about it, maybe the same thoughts had crossed their minds as well, it had happened so suddenly, on and off the screen. I went straight to my wardrobe and started to pack my clothes into a suitcase, somehow it seemed the thing to do and still no one spoke, still that deadly silence.

After about 10 minutes the sergeant appeared and in a very quiet voice as though in reverence (quite unusual for her) she said, 鈥淲ho wants a day pass for tomorrow?鈥� We gave her our names and carried on with whatever we were doing, without comment.

A few minutes went by and then suddenly from outside our barrack room we heard we heard the sweetest sound to our ears, a Scots Guard Piper. The sensation was overwhelming 鈥� everyone stopped whatever they were doing. There was one loud yell and a rush to the door. Curlers, shirt sleeves, pyjama tops 鈥� whatever, it didn鈥檛 matter.

2000 men and a handful of women followed the piper like the children of Hamblin, yelling, dancing and laughing onto the large parade ground where we found the whole of the Scots Guard Military Band including the base drum marching onto the square. Every available motor vehicle was driven to the outside edge of the square with headlights gleaming. What a sensation!
Up and down we marched singing to all the war songs we had learnt during those horrific years. Then as the band stood still and played Scottish reels we danced until we were too exhausted to carry on.

We walked slowly back to the barracks with the single piper leading us and never once during that wonderful experience, did anyone mention ++++++++that the war in Europe was over. It wasn鈥檛 necessary.

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