Recently, our branch’s chairman, Elaine, participated in a pilgrimage to Ypres as part of St Paul’s Anglican Church Monte Carlo’s centenary year. The main aim of the trip was to honour those whose made the ultimate sacrifice for the UK, Ireland and the Commonwealth; but equally valuable were the strengthened ties between RBL Provence-Monaco and St Paul’s.
Three members of the community at St Paul’s came up with the idea of an excursion with the main organisation being conducted by Freddie Bearn. Mark Hone (St Catherine’s College, University of Cambridge) was asked to put together a schedule that would provide an overview of the fighting for Ypres and bring to life the rich history of the Salient. It did not disappoint! The admittedly jam-packed schedule included visits to Messines, Tyne Cot, Bayernwald, The Heuvelland, Essex Farm Cemetery, Sint Sixtus Abbdij, Poperinge, Langemarck, and the Passchendaele Ridge.
As part of the Remembrance project, wreaths and poppies were laid by members of the group throughout the tour. Several monuments and sites were chosen to ensure that as many of the nations represented were visited, including the powerful “Brooding Soldier” memorial to the Canadians, the striking Welsh National Monument, and the Island of Ireland Peace Park at Messines Ridge.
The large Yorkist and Scots contingents on the tour made for two particularly impressive visits; firstly to the Yorkshire Division Monument at Essex Farm (where the celebrated poem “In Flanders’ Fields” was written) and at the Frezenberg Ridge Scottish Memorial, where the pipes were played and a deeply moving personal account of the conflict was given by a member of the tour.
The tour was honoured to be joined by His Excellency M. Labarrère, Ambassador of Monaco to the Kingdom of Belgium who laid a wreath at the Last Post ceremony on behalf of HSH Prince Albert II. Alongside him were our bearer party who laid wreaths from St Paul’s Anglican Church Monte Carlo, the British Community in Monaco and the RBL Provence-Monaco Branch. The importance of this collaborative effort was not lost on anyone present. Moreover, such was the appreciation of our efforts that the Last Post Association has now recorded the entire event and will store the message provided by HSH Prince Albert II in their own centenary archives.
The volunteers at the Last Post ceremony have conducted the Act of Remembrance at the Menin Gate arches over 34,000 times. For perspective, this is less than half of the number of men and women commemorated at the Menin Gate and at Tyne Cot, and not including those laid to rest elsewhere across the Ypres Salient. It will take another 100 years for each name to have been remembered in this way.
The tour concluded with a visit to Talbot House, known as “Toc-H”, which was founded by two men of the Royal Army Chaplains Department. At the Talbot House, St Paul’s chaplain Hugh, a former Army chaplain, led a communion service in the loft chapel. The managers of the museum and guest house generously provided the group with the original prayer book, chalice and paten used by the Army Padres at Toc-H during the war. It is believed that over 150,000 service men and women went up the steep staircase to the chapel, where it was a privilege to continue the legacy set by Padre “Tubby” Clayton and his fellow chaplains at Talbot House 110 years ago.
RBL Provence-Monaco was founded soon after the construction of St Paul’s. Originally named the Nice-Monaco branch, we have played a significant role in maintaining the Act of Remembrance within the Principality and all along the Côte d’Azur.
As mentioned, Elaine, our chairman was invited to represent the branch. Standard bearer Tim Morley carried the branch standard at the ceremony and was on parade as the first ever representative of the branch at the Menin Gate ceremony in its nearly 100-year history. The trip was a fantastic example of how communities across the Côte d’Azur can come together to commemorate the British and Commonwealth, French and Monegasque sacrifice during The Great War. We are very grateful to have been given the opportunity to participate in St Paul’s project.