* Llangollen Town Mayor, Cllr Jon Haddy, gives an official send-off to Royal British Legion representatives Philip Stroud, the local branch chairman (left) and standard bearer Phil Silverston in Centenary Square.
Four members of the Llangollen branch of the Royal British
Legion (RBL) will be joining their comrades from across Britain for a special ceremony
in northern France next week honouring the fallen of the First World War.
A
decade after the end of the war in 1918 the British Legion, as it was then
known, organised an expedition for veterans and widows to visit the
battlefields of the Somme and Ypres before marching to the Menin Gate in Ypres
on August 8th 1928.
Exactly
90 years later, thousands of Legion representatives will recreate the 1928
Battlefields Pilgrimage and visit the same battlefields.
Then,
next Wednesday, they will parade their branch standard and a wreath along the
same route to the Menin Gate for the One Hundred Days ceremony to commemorate
the last 100 days of the war and represent an entire generation that served
while defending their country.
Proudly
taking their place in the poignant pilgrimage will be Llangollen RBL chairman
Philip Stroud along with branch standard bearer Phil Silverston, secretary
David Thomas and parade commander Graham Patton.
They will be taking with them the official good wishes of the
Town Council and people of Llangollen expressed to them at a gathering in the
town’s new Centenary Square yesterday (Tuesday).
Housing the town’s two war memorials, the square was created
by the Town Council to mark 100 years since the end of the Great War and was
officially opened just a few weeks ago.
The RBL party were given an official send-off by the Town
Mayor, Cllr Jon Haddy, who presented them with a poppy wreath he had signed on
behalf of the whole community.
Philip Stroud, who himself served in the King’s Regiment,
said: “The four Llangollen representatives will be journeying over to France
this Sunday and will return the following Thursday after the two special events
in which we are proud to be taking part.
“It’s good to know that we are taking with us the good
wishes of the town.”
The Mayor said: “A lot of people from this area took part in
the Great War. There was a big sacrifice and it’s important that people never
forget this.
“I wished the RBL group bon voyage on behalf of everyone in
Llangollen.”
* To learn more about the two special events in France they are attending, go to: https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/community/calendar/remembrance-services-and-events/great-pilgrimage-90/
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