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TOMMY HATWELL
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TOMMY HATWELL
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A decade after the end of WW1, the British Legion organised a ‘pilgrimage’ for 11,000 veterans and war widows to spend three days visiting the cemeteries and battlefields of the Somme, before assembling in Ypres for a service of commemoration and marching to the Menin Gate to lay wreaths on 8 August 1928. Ever since 1928 the Last Post Association has been carrying out the daily Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres. Traditionally the buglers are members of the Ypres Voluntary Fire Brigade and wear the brigade uniform when performing the ceremony which takes place at 20:00 hours every evening.
Exactly 90 years after the first pilgrimage, over two thousand Royal British Legion members took part in Great Pilgrimage 90 this summer, retracing the footsteps of the 1928 pilgrimage. Maria Hill from Bere Alston RBL, and Malcolm Christie and Royston Hackney from Tavistock RBL were honoured to attend the event. Their extremely intensive itinerary included visits to the same battlefields visited during the 1928 pilgrimage; then on 8 August, they joined 1200 standard bearers and 1200 wreath carriers to parade along the same route to the Menin Gate in remembrance of all who served in the war. As part of the ‘There But Not There’ 2018 Armistice campaign, Maria has been collecting donations to purchase a ‘Tommy’ to remember each of the 42 men from her parish who lost their lives in WW1. Describing her experience at GP90 she said: “At each cemetery there were hundreds or thousands of men’s names listed as ‘Known Unto God’, whose bodies were never found - such a tragic loss of life. These men gave everything, so we can live our lives as we do now, and it left me feeling so sad. Taking part in the parade was incredible and as I was asked to lay my wreath, I said a little prayer for our 42 men. It was very emotional and I will never forget those few days and all those cemeteries.”
Rosemary Best
The name on each ‘Tommy’ will be read out at the Remembrance Sunday service on 11 November at Holy Trinity, Bere Alston, following the service at the war memorial at 2:15pm. Everyone is welcome to attend; if you would like to help with the event, please contact Maria Hill through Bere Alston Royal British Legion.