Personal thread:

I wanted to share some personal thoughts following the death of 97-year-old Battle of Arnhem Veteran, Sandy Cortmann this weekend.

For me he was the epitome of a hero, but for him he was just doing his job. He was an extremely modest “loon fae Aberdeen”.

I first had the pleasure of meeting Sandy in Sept 2019. I was working for STV News. And what an immediate impact he had - It was emotional, inspiring and funny! You can watch the report here ahead of his trip to the Netherlands (STV retain all rights):

I had the privilege of travelling to the 75th Battle of Arnhem commemorations to report on Sandy’s big adventure - a parachute jump with the @RedDevilsOnline! This time arriving in the Netherlands to cheering crowds rather than enemy gunfire.

On a personal level, the commemorations were incredible. One of the highlights being a mass air drop to give an impression of what the skies would have looked like when thousands of allied troops parachuted down in behind enemy lines in 1944.

However, like so many agreed - Sandy was the star of the show. He was mobbed for selfies and autographs everywhere he went. I said to him “Sandy you’re a celebrity!” to which he replied “Get away min, I’m a Paratrooper!” He was just so delighted to meet so many friendly faces.

I feel very privileged to have made the journey with Sandy and I consider it to be some of my proudest work. An honour to tell his extraordinary story to so many. You can watch my Netherlands report here (STV retain all rights):

In Nov 2019, I was reunited with Sandy at his care home in Aberdeen. He had received hundreds of ‘fan mail’ letters from people in the Netherlands who were so moved by his story. It was organised by Dutch broadcaster @OmroepGLD. His expression says it all.

Sandy was a proud and humble man. Fiercely loyal to his comrades. He fondly spoke of “the lads” and got emotional when he spoke of those who didn’t survive the conflict. He was a cheeky chap with an infectious smile. A superb and captivating storyteller.

This is sandy six days into the battle before he was captured by the Germans. He was a funny man who took things in his stride. Ahead of his trip to Holland, during an interview to a Dutch journalist he said: “All the Dutch girls will say, he’s back!”

Those close to him credit his trip to the Netherlands with giving him a new lease of life. When I asked how it had been, he said: “It has been sad, but those guys (comrades) wouldn’t want me to be sad. If they are looking down on me they’d say come on Cortmann, get a grip!”

Work tweet: Tributes have been flooding in today for Sandy with plenty media coverage too. You can read about him here. https://twitter.com/bbcnortheast/status/1264487181269315586

I will sign off with this short mobile clip which really captures his humour. Before the Netherlands he told me that he hoped his carers packed plenty toilet paper and washing powder for his parachute jump. This is what he had to say afterwards...

RIP Sandy Cortmann 1923-2020.

https://twitter.com/bbcscotlandnews/status/1264622929821741056?s=21 https://twitter.com/bbcscotlandnews/status/1264622929821741056