Graham Edwards Remembers 7RTR at Catterick

THE FRIENDS OF THE TANK MUSEUM YPRES SALIENT AT FROMELLES

Captain (Retd) David Williams

On Monday 19th July 2021 the Friends of the Tank Memorial Yypres Salient (FotTMYS) were invited to attend the 105th Anniversary of the Battle of Fromelles at the Pheasant Wood Commonwealth War Grave Commission Military Cemetery.

Representing the FotTMYS were the RTR Battle Flag Bearer Capt (Retd) David J Williams TD and Madame Marie-Pierre Williams, Honorary Member FotTMYS.

The Ceremony commenced at 1800 and all were welcomed by the Master of Ceremonies, Lt Col Francois Nozaïc, Australian Army and the Mayor of Fromelles Mr Jean-Gabriel Masson.

The opening address was given by Mr Richard Smith Sous Préfet and Her Excellency Ms Gillian Bird Australian Ambassador to France.

Individual tributes were given to the fallen and the children of Fromelles laid a Rose at the graves of those soldiers ‘Unknown unto God’.

This was followed by the Official laying of Wreaths, Madame Marie-Pierre Williams laid a wreath on behalf of the President, Vice President, Founder Chairman, Board of Administrators, and Friends of the Tank Memorial Ypres Salient.

The Exhortation was given by Colonel Joel Dooley. Defence Attaché Australian Army;

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. This verse is taken from the poem ‘For the fallen’ which was written by Robert Laurence Binyon (1869-1943). The poem was written whilst he was sitting on the cliff top looking out to sea from the dramatic scenery of the northern coastline of Cornwall. This being the fourth verse of seven which complete the poem. Robert Laurence Binyon was too old to enlist into the military but went on to work for the Red Cross as a medical orderly in 1916. He lost several close friends and his brother-in-law during the Great War.

The last Post was then played. The Standards were dipped during the one minute of silence, followed by Reveille and the National Anthems of Australia and France. There were in total 43 Standards from France and Belgium, including our RTR Battle Flag.

The closing address and farewell was given by the Master of Ceremonies.

The vin d’Honneur was held at the local infant’s school.

HISTORY OF THE BATTLE OF FROMELLES

Fromelles can be found about eight miles west of Lille and five miles south of Armentieres. It can be visited easily by those using Ypres or Arras as a base for battlefield touring (it’s about a 45-minute drive from either). Pheasant Wood Cemetery is probably the most visited site in the area, and has a museum next to the cemetery which was opened in 2014. There are a number of other interesting sites to visit in and around Fromelles. The village is not far from other battlefield areas, such as Cuinchy, Cambrin, Vermelles and Loos, all being within 10 miles of Fromelles. where they suffered heavy losses during the Great War. The Australian 5th Division, along with the 61st British (South Midland) Division, attacked here on July the 19th, 1916. At this time, the main Somme battles were raging around 40 miles to the south of Fromelles. The intention was to make a feint here to prevent the Germans from bringing reinforcements to the Somme. The Australian attack at Fromelles was their first significant battle in France and the only one in which they achieved no success. The Australians suffered 5,553 casualties in one night, the worst 24 hours in Australia’s military history. Many fell victim to German machine guns.

PHEASANT WOOD CEMETERY

This is probably the most visited site in the area, and with a fascinating history behind it. In 2009, archaeologists excavated several mass burial pits at Pheasant Wood near Fromelles. The remains of 250 British and Australian soldiers were recovered from these pits, which were mass burials made by the Germans after the Battle of Fromelles.

Considerable efforts were made to identify these men, whose remains had lain where they were buried together for more than 90 years. This involved the authorities and also many dedicated amateurs, working hard to try and make sure that as many graves in the new cemetery as possible bear a name. In turn, this means that many families finally know the exact resting place of their relative.

The number of remains discovered was so high that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) created a new cemetery for their reburial. This was the first new war graves cemetery to be created by the CWGC since the end of the Second World War. Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Cemetery is located at the north-west edge of the village, not far from the church. It is only about a quarter of a mile from Pheasant Wood itself, where the men were buried by the Germans, and from which the cemetery takes its name.

At 11 a.m. on January the 30th 2010, the first of the remains were reburied at this new cemetery. Reburial ceremonies continued at 9 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during February 2010. The cemetery was completed in July 2010 and now contains 250 graves. Efforts to identify these men continued, to date 170 graves are of identified soldiers which represents the majority of the burials. At the time of the burials the ground was frozen and snow fell on many occasions. The new cemetery has a generous parking area, with the recently opened museum located to the left. Outside the cemetery are information boards, giving the background to the cemetery.

MUSEUM OF THE BATTLE OF FROMELLES

Given the interest in Pheasant Wood Cemetery and the story of those who fought here, a new museum was planned by the Weppes commune. This was supported financially by both the French and Australian governments. The Museum of the Battle of Fromelles was opened in 2014. There was a previous smaller museum located in Fromelles town hall before that.

The museum is located right next to the cemetery and contains modern audio-visual presentations. The main one is a presentation showing the build-up to and day of the battle at Fromelles. There is an audio guide available for these presentations. Other displays describe the area before the war, and trench life during the war.

There is also information on the story of how those now buried at the cemetery were found, and the exhumation of their remains. Also, an interesting time lapse video showing the construction of Pheasant Wood Cemetery. In addition, there are more traditional exhibits including artefacts found during the excavations and before, such as munitions, soldier’s personal possessions and there are several dioramas as well.

The museum is well worth a visit; there is a fee of €6.50 for adults and €4.50 for children 8-18 (those younger than 8 enter free). Also, individual guided tours are available at €2.50. Hot drinks and snacks, vending machines, and toilets are also within the museum.

Mme Marie-Pierre Williams receiving the TMYS Wreath from the Australian Wreath Bearer and placing it

FotTMYS RTR Battle Flag bearer at the Cross of Sacrifice

BATTLE OF KALAMATA WATERFRONT MEMORIAL

Second-Lieutenant Tom Rees

11 Sept 2021 saw a gathering at the National Memorial Arboretum to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Greek Campaign of World War II. Sgt Perrin and I represented CYCLOPS, given the Squadron’s alignment to 3 RTR who fought in the campaign.

The memorial itself had a heavy Greek Orthodox element, which was a first for the both of us. There was also a recounting of some of the personal tales from the campaign, many of which involved heroic attempts to evade capture by the Germans in the latter stages of the campaign. Given the time elapsed, most of those present were the children of veterans, and it was good to see how they are keeping the memory of those mens sacrifices alive. There was also representation from the Greek Navy, New Zealand Defence Force and Australian Defence Force, in recognition of their participation eighty years ago.

After the ceremony, we took the opportunity to visit the RTR plot in the Arboretum. As a new Troop Leader this was a valuable insight into the history of the Regiment, and a good reminder of the importance of keeping these memories alive. It was humbling to see the care being put into the plot, and very gratifying to see that it is in good hands.

Regimental Secretary, Dean Hutton, lays a wreath on behalf of the RTR