I was a Boy Scout and started to learn to play the bagpipes at 12 years of age. I was adventurous and wanted to be a piper in a Scottish Regiment. I had my own bagpipes but at that time I could not become an official piper because I was English. So after 6 months of training in Glasgow, I joined the First Battalion Highland Infantry at Citadel Barracks Dover. I became a Reservist and for a while became an Electrician.
I married in 1938.

When the Germans attacked Holland and Belgium the Regiment moved over the border to engage and stop their advance. The enemy were superior in numbers and equipment and were ruthless in their general attitude to any opposition ; their air power was devastating.

As the month of May progressed only the sea coast was open to us and with soldiers of other Regiments and Belgian and French soldiers I arrived at Bray Dunes between Dunkirk and De Panne and mingled with us were hundreds (or more) of bewildered civilians of all ages. Like the rest of men I waded up to my waist and was then dragged into a small boat towing a line of smaller cockle boats. We were ferried further out to a Mine Sweeper, the Salamander and using their large rope nets we climbed up, helped by sailors. I felt sure that we would move west down the coast and land ashore to fight again but as darkness came we zigzagged across the sea to land in Dover harbour. There we were given a great welcome by volunteers with food and drinks and asked to put our home address on cards which merely said : ‘I’m in England and safe’.

From then onwards until June 1944 I stayed with the Regiment and was generally on coastal defence in the South East of England. I landed in Normandy in June 1944 as a Sergeant.

It’s strange how you did these duties and take any events for granted and just go on with it.

On 8th May it was all over for us though the war against the Japanese continued and we were being reorganized to go to America but the Atom bombing of Japan brought the end of the conflict on 8 August 1945. I was now transferred to the Lowland (Scottish) Division and preparing for demobilisation which occurred on 8 November 1945.

This account of my military service is devoid of the personal experience of day to day participation of action against an enemy – which at the time I hated and had no mercy when confronting them in combat. Their machine gunning and mines left no feeling of compassion towards them.

When I came home from the war I worked as an Electrician for 5 years and during that time I attended evening classes and became an Electrical Engineer.

During the Post war years I became Official Piper to the Dunkirk Veterans Association playing in France and Belgium at their annual pilgrimages to Dunkirk and De Panne. I played at the final pilgrimage in June 2000.

Each year at these events I played at the Menin Gate, when they played the Last Post.

I was appointed Honourary Piper to the Royal Highland Fusiliers in 1970 and I go up to Scotland to play on specified occasions.

My wife and I had a daughter Anthea and a son Malcolm. I trained him as a piper from 8 years old. Unfortunately, he was killed on 9th February by the I.R.A. along with a Welsh Engineer and three Irish construction workers.

I played a ‘lament’ at the scene each year until 1976 when I had a car accident on my way to Ireland. I lost my left eye there.

I October my wife Edna and I will have been married for 64 years and I hope many years to come.

Yours Sincerely,

Leonard Henson