Sandbag - Wincanton RBL Newsletter: June 2011
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Summary
Editor Tony Goddard - 01963 824193
Secretary Arthur Pickup - 01963 32952
Branch Meetings for 2011 - Wincanton Memorial Hall - Monday at 7 p.m.
11th July
15th August
19th September
17th October
7th November(AGM)
19th December
Coffee Mornings for 2011 - Wincanton Memorial Hall - Saturday at 10 a.m.
25th June
30th July
29th October
At the 25th June Coffee Morning we will display photographs and artefacts relevant to "Old Faithful" those wishing to go to Bayford Hill can break off around 10.45 a.m. and the CAT Bus will take us up to the original memorial to pay respects and lay wreaths then return to the Coffee Morning.
Trips and Events for 2011
11th June - Unfortunately we had to cancel the Poppy Party, due to lack of support.
25th June - Unveiling of the new memorial at Snag Farm at 3 p.m.
26th June - Evensong Service at Stoke Trister Church on Sunday at 6.30 p.m. to commemorate the U.S. airmen who perished in that crash while returning from a wartime operation. A display of parts of the bomber will be on display.
16th July - We will visit Kew Gardens. We will depart from the Memorial Hall at 8.30 a.m.
20th August - We will visit Lulworth Cove, departing from the Memorial Hall 9 a.m. With a possibility of visiting Swanage too.
Closing a Chapter
I have covered the story of Jean Pipe's father, L/Cpl Humbert Cox last year after Roy Glennister and I visited the small village of Pernes Lez Boulogne where he is buried. It was Liberation Day 2010 when we were there and we made contact with an English family the Southwoods who live in the village, they and their sons tend the two British graves in the village cemetery. The other grave is that of L/Cpl George Wilson of the Royal Army Service Corps. After that visit things moved quite fast because last winter completely out of the blue I received an email entitled "war graves at Pernes Lez Boulogne". Someone else had seen my card with the original wreath, it was the son of George Wilson's sister Audrey, Nigel Longstaff who lives near Sunderland. He and his sons had visited his uncle's grave on behalf of his mother. We exchanged lengthy correspondence throughout the winter and along with Jean Pipe all agreed we would try to all visit the graves together with the aim of Liberation Day 2011.
With the Southwood's in Pernes Lez Boulogne involvement we were invited to take part in the French wreath laying at their memorial on Liberation Day this year which was 8th May. Allison is a councillor in the village and she approached the mayor and veterans group for consent. A group of 8 Wincanton Legion members along with the soldier's families, which by good fortune included GeorgeWilson's sister, all travelled to the village to attend the very moving ceremony.
In our group was our treasurer Ron Peet, who served with the Royal Navy and was on a Landing Craft (Gun) at the Normandy Landings. Ron gave the Exhortation at both the British graves and at the village war memorial. Alison Southwood had obtained a French translation of the Exhortation and a villager read this at the war memorial. I carried the Union Flag along with our French veteran counterpart carrying the Tricolour at both places.
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