Search for family of executed WW2 Highland soldier - BBC News
One of the few clues to the soldier's identity is a scrap of paper with the name Keller Len Scott written on it.
One of the only clues to the soldier's identity is a hand-written note from 1940

A search has begun to find the family of a soldier executed by German troops in a cemetery during World War Two.

The soldier, who was a 51st Highlander, had managed to evade capture by hiding with a local family after the Battle of St Valery-en-Caux in June 1940.

However, after several weeks he was found by German troops who marched him through the French town, forced him to dig his own grave then shot him.

One of the few clues to his identity is the name Keller Len Scott.

It was written on a piece of paper by the family who gave the soldier refuge, but its meaning is not clear.

Efforts to find out who the soldier was and trace anyone of that name or surviving family have so far proved fruitless, prompting a public appeal for help.

What was known about the soldier was that he was married and had two daughters at the time of his death.

The battle in the French port of St Valery-en-Caux followed the mass evacuation of British and Allied troops at Dunkirk.

Troops of the 51st Highland Division mounted a "last stand" before being killed or forced to surrender by the Germans.

After the war, what is believed to be the soldier's body was moved, along with other casualties of the battle, to a Franco-British military cemetery in the town.

The executed Highlander was eventually buried as an unknown soldier.

The piece of paper bearing the name Keller Len Scott was passed into the care of Patrick Prieur, a 65-year-old St Valery resident whose grandparents and father lived in the town during the war.

Mr Prieur's family played a part, along with others, in trying to keep the soldier hidden.

Mr Prieur said: "His death deeply upset the townspeople - who had been aware of his hiding - and especially my father, who was only 11 at the time.

"His grave is marked as 'Known unto God', and my father and other villagers tended to it for decades after the war ended."

He added: "My father had been gifted a piece of paper on which the soldier's name was written, and this became his prized possession.

"He desperately wanted to find the soldier's family to tell them what had happened to their beloved and where he was laid to rest."

The soldier was believed to have been buried in this grave after the war

Following his own attempts to learn more about the soldier, Mr Prieur contacted Poppyscotland and the Highland Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Association for help in tracing the soldier's relatives.

The organisations, along with veterans charity Legion Scotland, have taken their search as far as they can and have now appealed to the public for help.

Michelle McKearnon, of the Highland Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Association, said: "We started to do our own research to unearth the fallen soldier's identity but only got so far.

"We believe the name order on the piece of paper may have been written in military fashion, with the surname preceding any given names, so the family name might be Keller."

She added: "We're now at an impasse, struggling to find additional information through our own resources, so we need the knowledge of the wider community to continue our efforts."

Veterans of St Valery included Donald Smith, who died earlier this year at the age of 100

In January 1940, the 51st Highland Division landed in France as part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF).

In the months that followed, the BEF, along with elements of the French army, were pushed back to northern France by attacking German forces.

The Highland division became separated from the BEF and while hundreds of thousands of expeditionary soldiers headed for Dunkirk, the 51st was ordered to "hold the line" with the French army in St Valery.

Over the course of a few days, almost 340,000 British and French troops were famously evacuated from the beach at Dunkirk.

The 51st, meanwhile, was fighting a losing battle.

On 12 June 1940, about 10,000 men from the 51st Highland Division were captured, along with French soldiers. Soldiers of the division were forced marched to prisoner of war camps, where most spent the rest of the war.

Veterans included Donald Smith, the sole survivor of a group of friends who joined the Seaforth Highlanders, which was part of the 51st.

He told BBC Scotland last year: "I get very emotional when I think of them.

"They were true friends. To think I was the only one to come back is hard to describe unless you are in my shoes."

Mr Smith, originally from Yorkshire and lived in Forres, Moray, died earlier this year at the age of 100.
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