Army reservist retraces family’s footsteps to Dutch battlefield
An Army reservist followed his family’s footsteps to an island battlefield in the Netherlands where his grandfather battled floodwaters to save Europe from the Nazis.
Color Sergeant James Gould, 51, of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland (6 SCOTS), marked the 81st anniversary of Operation Infatuate, the Allied landing operation that liberated the island of Walcheren in November 1944, with other reservists in a battlefield exercise called Exercise Lowland Poppy.
His grandfather, Private Thomas Polson, who survived the Second World War and worked as a hairdresser in Edinburgh before his death in 1999, had fought in the war but rarely spoke about it.
The land and sea offensive, part of the wider Battle of the Scheldt, was a week-long British and Canadian offensive aimed at opening the port of Antwerp for Allied supplies and gaining access to Berlin.
Allied troops fought through flooded streets to liberate a heavily fortified hotel used by the German army and surrounded by trenches, bunkers and machine-gun posts.
Hotel Britannia was used as headquarters by German garrison commander Oberst Reinhardt and surrendered with 600 prisoners on 3 November 1944. The attack was carried out by the 7th/9th Division, part of the 52nd (Lowland) Division. It involved the Royal Scots and Pte Polson was one of those involved.
Speaking ahead of the Remembrance ceremony on Sunday, Mr Gould said: “It was incredible to walk the path my grandfather walked. He never talked about it when I was growing up, so standing where he once stood really brought it home. It made me proud to know he was there, joining the fight, whatever part he played.”
In 1994, his grandfather returned to the Netherlands to visit the battlefield for the 50th anniversary of the offensive.
Mr Gould recently went the route, saying: “Battlefield work is great for soldiers. You learn how operations are run, the challenges of leadership and you see things from both sides. Doing it in the field adds a whole new layer to it – but it was different for me.”
“This wasn’t just a professional exercise, it was personal and I wasn’t just learning history; I was following in my family’s footsteps.”
In the post-war years his grandfather remained a reserve officer and Mr Gould said he believed some of the strict military values were a factor in daily life.
Mr Gould said: “He was a hairdresser and career reserve officer by trade. He owned three barber shops in Portobello.
“I like to think that he brings with him some of the Army precision, discipline, care and attention to detail.”
Mr Gould trained to be a baker and joined the Army reserves on a whim in 1996, aged 21.
He saw a recruitment office in Glasgow and joined speculatively, serving in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He currently serves as the 6 SCOTS ReMSO (regimental mentoring support officer), a role that involves battalion-wide recruitment, mentoring and community engagement.
Mr Gould said: “I was 21 at the time and learning to be a baker. I told my friend to stop the car and got in immediately.
“I wanted to do something completely different on the weekends, and 29 years later I’m still doing it.”
He also discovered that his great-grandfather Charles Fisher served during the First World War and fought with the King’s Own Scottish Borderers at the Battle of Passchendaele.
Mr Gould’s uncle and brother also joined the army, and he is researching the history of four generations of his own family.
“It’s fascinating to uncover more of their stories. I’ve been working with the Royal Scottish Museum, finding records of my great-grandfather and now we’re piecing together how all these generations are connected,” he said.
“It really makes you understand how strong the bond between service and family can be, especially when the battalions they served with are now part of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. It’s really special.”
Mr Gould said revisiting the battlefield where his grandfather fought gave him a sense of continuity.
He said: “It’s nice to see that picture now and realize I’m standing in the same place. There’s something really special about that continuity.”
“History is part of who we are. You can’t understand what we do now without understanding what they did then; it means a lot to carry that legacy forward.”
