Battle of Bellewaarde 1915
Mike Peters writes:
I have received an appeal for support for the development of
a memorial for the Battle of Bellewaarde which members may be interested in
supporting. Please see http://bellewaarde1915.co.uk/personal%20letter.htm
Op Market Garden
Conference
Wybo Boersma writes:
I have received the following which may be of interest to
members:
I am a lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton in
England and together with my colleague, Professor John Buckley, am organising a
conference on 10/11th September 2014 which may be of interest to you. It is
entitled 'Highway to the Reich' and will examine Operation MARKET GARDEN and
the battle for the Low Countries in the Autumn of 1944. I attach a link to our
website page:
Military Guided Walks in
Paris
Neil Bright writes:
I have some clients going on to Paris after their London
trip. Are there any Guild members who know of military guided walks in Paris
please?
Please contact me at neilbrightafs@gmail.com
London Lunches
Andy Thompson writes:
Please note that we have cancelled the lunch planned for Oct
10th. It appears that the date clashes with various other events in the Guild’s
calendar and, being a busy time generally, no other suitable date could be
found thus the event has been cancelled. The last lunch of the year will be the
Christmas Lunch on FRIDAY DECEMBER 5th – further details in September
Tour de France Ypres
Andy Thompson writes:
Ypres Wednesday July 9th. Those guides who are regularly in
Belgium will be aware that the Flanders leg of the Tour de France starts in
Ypres on July 9th. Although the riders have a photo start in front of the Cloth
Hall, the race proper begins on one of the main artery roads and the organisers
have posted a series of significant road closers for parts of the day. This
will almost certainly impact on sites in and around the salient and anyone
working in the area on that day should check details with the Ieper Tourist
Office -www.toerisme-ieper.be
Western Front
Interpretation Centre at Villers Bretonneux
Andy Thompson
writes:
The Australian Government has committed $6.9 million for a
Western Front Interpretive Centre at Villers-Bretonneux, in the first budget of
Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
The budget saw wide-sweeping cuts across government
departments, with the Department for Veterans' Affairs being allocated over $12
billion in funding.
The Federal Budget for 2014-15 has committed $6.5 billion in
pensions and income support and $5.4 billion in health services, with a
particular emphasis on treating those returning from recent conflicts who
suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Acknowledging the Centenary of Anzac as "the most
significant commemoration in our nation's history", the Department for
Veterans' Affairs said that the $6.9 million promised for a new Western Front
Interpretive Centre at Villers-Bretonneux in France would be an "enduring
legacy".
The Villers-Bretonneux Australian National Memorial serves
as a focal point for Australian remembrance on the Western Front. Unveiled by
King George VI in 1938, the memorial bears the names of more than 10,000 men of
the Australian Imperial Force.
Additional funding to support grass-roots Centenary
commemorations was also secured in the budget. A further $125,000 per
electorate will be made available under the Anzac Centenary Local Grants
Programme.
Source: Department of Veterans' Affairs press release. Date
of press release publication: 13/05/2014
Battle of Bouvines 800th
Anniversary Conference Friday 25th – Sunday 27th July 2014
Frank Baldwin writes:
I am writing to offer Guild Members an opportunity to join
the Battlefields Trust Conference in France on the 800th anniversary of the
Battle of Bouvines.
The Battle of Bouvines which took place near Lille on 27th
July 1214 is one of the most significant events in British, if not world
history. The defeat of the Emperor Otto by the French King Philip was the
act that condemned Otto's Uncle King John of England to dealing with his
recalcitrant barons and the sealing of the Magna Carta. The
Battlefields Trust will be taking a group to the Commemorations of the 800th
anniversary of the Battle of Bouvines. This will be a fitting start to
our own Magna Carta 800th Battlefields Project to develop battlefield groups to
support the sites associated with the battles and sieges of the Barons Wars
1214-67
Our party will be led by Harvey Watson and the historian and
GBG member Dr Matthew Bennett, will be providing historic
expertise. Our group will be joined by Sir Robert Worcester the Chair of
the Magna Carta 800th Committee, our partners in the Magna Carta 800th
Battlefield project.
We will be taking part in the commemorations organised by
the French authorities for the 800th Anniversary
We will base our expedition in hotels in the city centre of
Lille, which will allow you to enjoy the atmosphere and local restaurants of
this gem of French Flanders.
If the numbers allow we plan to hire a coach which will pick
up travellers from North of London.
PROGRAMME
FRIDAY 25TH JULY 2014: TRAVEL TO LILLE
·
12.00 noon (BST) Coach party depart London
·
6.30 pm (CET) Arrive Lille Check into
hotel
·
19.30 pm Briefiing on Visit plan.
·
Evening meal in local restaurants Lille city
centre.
SATURDAY 26TH JULY 2014 VISITS
·
AM – Visit to the Fort du Seclin
·
PM - Battlefield tour of Bouvines
Battlefield
·
TBC visit to the museum at Mons-en-Pévèle
This is a provisional programme which may change as the
details of the French commemorations become clear. We hope to hold talks on:-
·
Warfare in the C13th
·
The campaign that led to Bouvines
·
Battles and Sieges of the Barons Wars
·
The Maga Carta 800th project
·
France and Flanders in the C13-14th
Evening meal in local restaurants Lille city centre.
SUNDAY 27TH JULY 2014 PARTICIPATION IN THE 800TH ANNIVERSARY
COMMEMORATIONS
·
AM Church service and commemoration Bouvines
Church
·
PM Concert Seclin
·
17.30 depart for the UK.
·
21.00 ETA London
Accommodation has been reserved at the Ibis Hotel Lille and
Holiday Inn Express Lille Centre.
The tour has been costed on a minimum of 20 delegates who
can share the cost of a coach, which will allow us to travel in comfort and
pick up delegates North of London. In the event that fewer than 20
delegates join the tour, we plan to undertake the tour using private cars.
Drivers willing to take two others in their car will be paid a travel allowance
of £300 to cover the cost of fuel and a ferry ticket. We will refund to anyone
not wishing to travel on this basis.
For further information download the .Conference programme
from the Battlefields Trust Website
CWGC Cemetery Tours
Mike Peters writes:
Members may be interested to note that the CWGC is now
offering free guided tours for school groups in a selection of its sites. The
tours, which are led by its fully-trained education guides, are available at
the following sites:
·
Southampton (Hollybrook)
·
Plymouth (Weston Mill)
·
Oxford (Botley)
·
Cambridge City
·
Cannock Chase (Staffordshire)
The tours will enable students to gain a greater
understanding of the First and Second World Wars and the role of the local
community in both conflicts.
·
Find out about the service men and women who
were cared for in local hospitals, died of wounds and are buried in our sites
·
Learn about local training bases and prisoner of
war camps and the stories of those who passed through their doors
·
Find out more about the construction of our
sites. Learn what a Cross of Sacrifice is, and find out about the importance of
the Stone of Remembrance
·
Use research skills to trace the grave of a
local person and find out more about how they lived and died
·
Pay your respects to those who lost their lives
·
Ask questions and find out more from our knowledgeable,
fully trained guides
To find out more please email education@cwgc.org
Remuneration for those
working on behalf of the Guild
James Dinsdale writes:
Further to my recent circular on this subject I have
concluded my deliberations and will be making recommendations at the next
Council Meeting prior to informing members.
Guild AGM
Secretary writes:
The Guild AGM weekend will be held from the 21st - 23rd
November 2014 as before at Bromsgrove. Full details will be placed on the
website shortly. There will be a slight hike in costs this year of around £10
per head. Next year we will be seeking a different venue to ring the changes –
so if any member has any suggestions I would welcome them.
Best Regards
Tony Smith
Guild Secretary
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