Colonel Tom Bonas Regimental Adjutant, Mrs Vivien Bonas, WO2 (RQMS) Dai Davies 03 and members of the Welsh Guards Association recently attended the 73rd Annual Liberation Commemoration at Hechtel, which was the location of a fierce battle in 1944 and represents one of the Regiment’s battle honors.
The main event focused around the church service, followed by a ceremony at the local cemetery where 35 members of the village who lost their lives during the terrifying Nazi occupation are buried. This year seemed to have a larger presence from the local community and everyone then paraded behind the local youth band to the War Memorial, located at its new location in a beautiful peaceful garden. The Association party conducted a private ceremony at the spot where Major Lister fell in remembrance of him and the other Welsh Guardsmen who lost their lives.
The Mayor, Mr Jan Dalemans warmly welcomed the members of the Welsh Guards Association in his address and made known how much the community values and appreciates the presence of the Welsh Guards every year. Col Bonas responded thanking everyone for the welcome and paid tribute to the people of Hechtel who have never forgotten those Welsh Guards who gave their lives for the liberation of their town. Each year that passes strengthens the bonds between Hechtel and the Welsh Guards and the mutual respect and established friendships between the community and members of the Association is an impressive thing to see.
After the formalities, a feast was provided at the Community Centre where the wine flowed in plentiful supply and the Annual singing competition took place. The standard of our opposition was impressive this year and we were extremely fortunate to leave Hechtel with the trophy. We hope to boost the numbers of singers next year as maintaining the reputation that the Welsh have for singing is becoming a greater challenge each year against the fine voices of Hechtel.
The icing on the cake after a very successful day was the generous invitation by the Mayor to join him as VIP guests at the Sanicole 40th anniversary airshow. The weather was absolutely perfect for an airshow and it was a privilege to witness such an excellent flying display by air forces from across the world.
The following day, the theme of the tour changed to the First World War, travelling to the excellent Passchendaele Museum and then onwards to Ypres. On route, the group stopped at a cemetery to conduct a ceremony at the graveside of a relative of one of our Associate Members present on the tour. We were very fortunate to have three standard bearers and Kelvyn Jenkins (ex Welsh Guards Band) on the bugle for Last Post and Reveille. The dignity of this ceremony was greatly appreciated by Tony Lewis, Associate Member Cardiff Branch who had never before visited his relative’s grave.
That evening, our group played a leading role in the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate. Our standard bearers were smartly on parade with our wreath laying party consisting of the RQMS, Kelvyn Jenkins and Andrew Morgan. Other members were given the honour to recite the Exhortation and the Kohima Epitaph during the ceremony.
The following day the educational aspect of the tour focused on the casualty evacuation process that the Welsh Guards would have experienced. A visit to Essex Farm cemetery gave an insight into the set up of an Advanced Dressing Station before moving to Brandhoeek which was home to a number of Casualty Clearing Stations during the Great War. It was here that we visited the grave of Capt Noel Chavasse RAMC VC and bar, MC and conducted a wreath laying ceremony in memory of 35 Welsh Guardsmen buried here who all died in 1916.
The group then proceeded to Lijsenthoeek Cemetery, where 10755 are buried, 15 of which are Welsh Guardsmen and one female, Staff Nurse Nellie Spindler of the Queen Alexandra Imperial Military Nursing Service. At each of these locations educational talks were given by members of the group which included the history of certain individuals from the Welsh Guards buried at these sites. These personal stories helped paint a picture of the person who’s name is engraved on the headstone. After conducting another wreath laying ceremony, the tour came to an end. The homeward journey back to Cardiff went smoothly arriving back in Maindy Barracks to the minute of the ETA on the itinerary!! Everyone had an excellent time and all are looking forward to returning to Hechtel again next year.
By Captain Lyndon Davies QARANC
