Reel of the 51st Highlanders
Encyclopedia
One of the most popular Scottish country dances of all time, the Reel of the 51st Highland Division is a modern Scottish country dance
written by Lieutenant J.E.M. ‘Jimmy’ Atkinson of the 7th Battalion The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders while in a POW camp during the Second World War. Captured, together with the vast majority of the British 51st (Highland) Division
while defending the retreat from Dunkirk in 1940, Atkinson spent the rest of the war as a POW
in Germany
. His idea of a reel with a St Andrews cross in its key formation was intended to symbolise Scotland
, and the Highland Division, in adversity.
Atkinson's letter home with instructions for the dance was intercepted by the German security service, the Abwehr, who spent the rest of the war trying to break the code! However, another version of the dance reached Scotland where it was published while Atkinson was still a POW and became instantly popular.
Also known as the Laufen Reel after Laufen Castle
near Salzburg
, the 51st Country Dance, the Reel of the 51st Highland Division, and St Valery's Reel, it is often danced in a set composed entirely of men.
Scottish country dance
A Scottish country dance is a form of social dance involving groups of mixed couples of dancers tracing progressive patterns according to a predetermined choreography...
written by Lieutenant J.E.M. ‘Jimmy’ Atkinson of the 7th Battalion The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders while in a POW camp during the Second World War. Captured, together with the vast majority of the British 51st (Highland) Division
British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (World War II)
For the First World War unit, see 51st Division .The 51st Infantry Division was a British Territorial Army division that fought during the Second World War...
while defending the retreat from Dunkirk in 1940, Atkinson spent the rest of the war as a POW
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. His idea of a reel with a St Andrews cross in its key formation was intended to symbolise Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and the Highland Division, in adversity.
Atkinson's letter home with instructions for the dance was intercepted by the German security service, the Abwehr, who spent the rest of the war trying to break the code! However, another version of the dance reached Scotland where it was published while Atkinson was still a POW and became instantly popular.
Also known as the Laufen Reel after Laufen Castle
Laufen Castle
Laufen Castle is a castle in the municipality of Laufen-Uhwiesen of the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.-References:...
near Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, the 51st Country Dance, the Reel of the 51st Highland Division, and St Valery's Reel, it is often danced in a set composed entirely of men.