It is a great privilege to be a guest here in Gronhoj for the celebration of Denmark’s liberation from occupation on 4 May 1945. This is particularly poignant for me,
as we are also able to respectfully commemorate the deaths of all the crew of Lancaster R5679, piloted by my uncle, Lewis Morrison which crashed here in 1942.
It is good to be able to welcome the family of the mid upper gunner Bill Emerslund, who have travelled here specially from the west coast of Canada.  I bring
greetings from my own family who are spread all across the world. It is heart warming to see the commemoration of this crew achieved so well in Gronhoj. I greatly appreciate this.

On the anniversary of Denmark’s liberation I would like to recall another wartime story which has great relevance here today. In Peeblesshire, Scotland,  where I
grew up as a child, one of my father’s great friends was Colonel Aidan Sprot  MC,  a post WW2 commanding officer of The Royal Scots Greys Regt.  I also know
Aidan very well, a gentleman farmer living near Peebles. I shall visit him soon.  In May 1945, he was a subaltern commanding the Sherman tanks of C Squadron RSG.

The occasion I now describe is taken from his published war time diaries spanning many tank actions in North Africa, Italy, France, Belgium and Germany. He
received his Military Cross personally from Field Marshall Montgomery,  in the field for an action on the French Belgium border. The book is  ‘Swifter Than Eagles’ 
and contains a foreword by Field Marshall Lord Carver. He was fortunate to survive the war. (See Swifter1 * Swifter2 * Swifter3)

Aidan was given orders on 2nd May 1945 to advance as fast and as far as possible from Neetze via  the bridge at Bleckede, towards the Baltic, and to avoid all
action with German units. The Royal Scots Greys tanks were loaded with troops from the 1st Canadian Parachute Regt.  They raced forward of the battle lines for
70 miles (113 kms) passing German columns attempting to surrender to the British. The purpose of this risk filled mission behind German lines was to secure the
roads to Denmark from the advancing Russians. The troops on top of the tanks declared that they never ever knew tanks could move so quickly.

C Squadron tanks under Aidan’s command reached Wismar town square (photo from here?) having passed unopposed though Wittenberg and Gadebusch, which their orders expected to be the limit of their advance that day. This was achieved by 1030 hrs, so they pushed on without fear of the consequences.  They passed German generals in their cars, with Corps HQ staff, being driven westwards. Soldiers were marching in good order, to surrender, accompanied by their wives and children.

Wismar was reached and secured by the evening and the Recce troop pushed further eastwards to block the road.  At 2100hrs two Russian scout cars with motor
bike machine gun combinations manned by both genders raced into their position demanding to be allowed to advance to Denmark. Aidan’s orders were to not let
them pass. That night their disappointment was drowned in vodka.  Aidan had the honour of being the first allied officer to meet the Russians.

And so by perhaps just a few hours, Denmark stayed on the west of the Iron Curtain, and I have a second personal reason to celebrate with you today. I bring to
you the fond greeting of Colonel Aidan Sprot MC of Crookstone Farm in Peebleshire, Scotland, whose memories of Denmark, he assures me,  at the end of the war
were all entirely very pleasant.

PS on AirmenDK: Montgomery mentioned the push to Wismar in his memoirs - 6 hours ahead of The Red Army.