THE FRIENDS OF
LOCHNAGAR
Founded by Richard Dunning 1st July
1989
Armistice Day, 11th November 2006
Village of la Boisselle and Lochnagar Crater Memorial.
Armistice and Remembrance day is not just about
those who fought in the two World Wars of the last century, but
also about those involved in the many other conflicts worldwide
since 1945 and those still fighting for peace and freedom now.
It is also about learning from the past and resolving to make
the world a better place to live in the future.
At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month
of the year 1918, the guns fell silent on the Western Front. For
Britain and her allies, the moment the conflict ceased became
sacred. Every year since then, the Allied dead of the Great War
have been remembered by the laying of wreaths, this ceremony is
still replicated in every city, town and village throughout the
land. No hamlet, however small, is without its war memorial as
is the Village of la Boisselle on the Somme, France.
Services of Remembrance held
at the Village of la Boisselle and
the Lochnagar Crater Memorial on the Somme, France,
November 11th 2006.
The assembly of the Villagers of la
Boisselle and a small group of Friends of Lochnagar and other
participants began at 10.00 am; the Villagers proudly led by M.
Gerard Margotin, Le Maire, of Ovillers la Boisselle, and the Friends
of Lochnagar led by there Chairman Richard Dunning.
The first services and wreath laying
ceremonies took place at the Village FrenchWar Memorial. A floral
tribute was first laid by M. Gerard Margotin, followed by Richard
Dunning who took forward with him an English schoolgirl, Chloey,
who laid Richard’s Wreath.
The congregation then made its way
to the 34th Divisional Memorial at the northern tip of the village,
where a wreath was laid by the Friends of Lochnagar and a floral
tribute by the Villagers of la Boisselle. At all of the services,
held at la Boisselle and Lochnagar Crater Memorial, Friend George
Heron splenditly, read out the Exhortations at all of the ceremonies
carried out.
There then followed the final village
ceremony at the Tyneside Scottish and Tyneside irish Memorial
Seat at the southern tip of the village.This service has always
held a great deal of meaning in my life, as I suppose it has with
the people of Tyneside throughout the years since the Great War.
These very emotional wreath laying
services took approximately an hour, after which all present were
invited to a Vind'Honneur in the la Boisselle Village school hall,
where everyone, including our devoted pipers, took a well earned
rest.
At 1pm, Friends gathered at the Lochnagar
Crater Memorial for a small wreath laying ceremony, led by the
Founder and Chairman of the Friends of Lochnagar Richard Dunning,
owner of the Lochnagar Crater Memorial.
A number of private wreaths were laid with
wreaths from the Friends of Lochnagar. The young couple above
June and David, both Friends of Lochnagar, found the laying of
their wreath a very moving and emotional experiance.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank
the Pipers in making the day a very memorial one as th
ey
always do, THANK YOU, on behalf of the Friends of Lochnagar.
Our Chairman, Richard Dunning, with Michel
Duthoit, an original and devoted Friend of Lochnagar at the end
of the Lochnagar Crater Memorial Service, 11th November 2006.
In the middle is English school girl Chloey, living in France
to learn the language.
Dulce et decorum est pro patria
mori.
The line can be rendered in English
as:
"It is sweet and honourable
to die for one's country."
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