The walls of Aberdeen’s Gordon Highlanders Museum hold countless tales of valor, but none quite like Jim Glennie’s. One of Scotland’s last D-Day veterans just marked his centenary – though he’d probably brush off such fanfare with a characteristic “och, it’s nothing special.”
“Just lucky I think. I feel I was a very lucky loon,” he says, that familiar twinkle in his eye betraying a century of extraordinary experiences. The museum’s celebration brought together an unlikely gathering: family, friends, fellow veterans, and even a message from King Charles III himself.
At 18, Glennie was barely more than a boy when fate thrust him onto Sword Beach that June morning in 1944. The memory remains sharp as ever. “I remember getting into the water,” he recalls, his voice steady despite the weight of the words. “My two mates couldn’t swim – stuck to me like glue, they did.” His voice drops slightly. “Boys were getting shot. Shells everywhere. Had to keep your heid doon. Never stopped. Just had to carry on.”
Life had other plans for the young Gordon Highlander. A wound and subsequent capture landed him in Stalag IV-B, one of Germany’s largest POW camps. Strange how humanity surfaces in the darkest places – there, between endless days of hunger, Glennie found himself discussing Aberdeen’s golf courses with his German doctor. Perhaps some things transcend even the deepest divisions of war.
Earlier this year, King Charles’s visit to the museum brought royal recognition to Glennie’s service. Their exchange captured headlines when the veteran cheerfully greeted the monarch with “long time no see!” – a moment of levity that spoke volumes about his irrepressible spirit. The King, visibly moved, praised him as “a great example to us all” and promised the birthday message that arrived for today’s celebrations.
After the war, Glennie traded combat gear for a welding torch, building a quiet life in Turriff, Aberdeenshire. He shared more than four decades with his beloved Winifred before her passing some 15 years ago. Today’s celebration saw the formal presentation of his British Empire Medal by Aberdeen’s Lord-Lieutenant David Cameron – adding to an impressive collection that includes France’s Legion d’Honneur.
Yet perhaps his greatest legacy lives on in the museum halls where he still volunteers. Chief executive John McLeish puts it simply: Glennie transforms “regular museum visits” into “something very special indeed.” His presence bridges past and present, turning history from dusty pages into living memory.
As 2025 dawns and the World War II generation fades into history, Glennie’s hope remains remarkably straightforward – that future generations will remember. Not just the grand strategies or famous battles, but the ordinary lads who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances. From Normandy’s beaches to Aberdeen’s museum corridors, Jim Glennie has certainly done his part to ensure those memories endure.
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