Today, with the weather perfect, we welcomed the Mayor of Woking, Cllr Rob Leach and a delegation from the Last Post Association. Cllr Leach is the 53rd, and final Mayor representing Woking as the local authority will be abolished next March.

The delegation from the Last Post Association included Mr Carl Denys and two buglers, Jan Callemein and Bava Ketels. This was the first official delegation from the LPA since 1985 and we were grateful for their attendance.

We remembered Soldaat 2 KL Mathieu Alois Callot of the Belgian Army 2 Karabiniers 2/1 (5 Cie). Soldaat Callot was injured and was taken to a hospital initially in Folkstone. He was subsequently moved to Hyland’s Hospital in Chelmsford before eventually being moved to Saint Olave’s Infirmary, a former workhouse in Southwark, London.

He died in Saint Olave’s on July 11th, 1916 which was his 26th birthday. Unusually, he is the only Belgian casualty from the First World War buried in the Belgian Plot in Brookwood Military Cemetery.

Extensive research by our historian Paul McCue is included here and is well worth the time reading to learn fully about Soldaat Callot. The document includes the poem ‘ The Grave Digger’ by Emile Verhaeren, 1855 – 1916, a Belgian refugee living in South Wales in 1914. By 1916 he was in France, but died tragically in November when he fell under a train that he was attempting to board.

Photos from before and during the ceremony.

Neither of our usual standard bearers were available for this ceremony. The Union Flag was static in its stand, and Eddie Jones very kindly stood in to parade the BLP Standard in place of his usual Artist’s Rifles standard.

Our usual bugler, Mrs Ruth Moore attended and helped keep timing during the Last Post. Rob Bennett said the thought-provoking wise words.

A young student from Gordon’s School who had recently performed at the Menin Gate performed the Lament for us and the Kohima Epitaph was read out by an Explorer Scout from Woking District.

The Exhortation today was said by our Senior Standard Bearer Tom Milne’s daughter who is visiting from Australia.

The Last Post Association very graciously presented our Chairman, Kevin Davis, and Historian Paul McCue each with a stunning book that commemorates the 30,000th edition of the Last Post at the Menin Gate that occurred on the 9th July 2015. A small delegation of five Brookwood Last Post Association members attended that ceremony.

After the ceremony and necessary photographs, we retired to the Trench Experience with our guests for much needed refreshments.

A special thank you to Mike Hillman for documenting today’s ceremony in photograph form and also to Alan Meeks for filming and then editing the superb video that documented the Secret WW2 Learning Network ceremony at the Memorial to the Missing and the Brookwood Last Post ceremony. This video may be viewed by following this link and is really well worth watching.

Today in the glorious sunshine around 60 people were in attendance for our ‘Belgium Remembers’ annual July ceremony. We welcomed Rudy Peleman from the Royal Federation of Belgian Veterans.

Paul McCue delivered the Individual Remembrance and we remembered Sergeant René Michaux who was a member of the T (Belgian) Section, Special Operations Executive (SOE). He was killed when the aircraft he was in crash landed after developing engine trouble.

Sgt Michaux was to be dropped into occupied Belgium along with two other Belgian agents and one British on the night of 7/8 January 1944. The flight was undertaken by a Halifax aircraft of 138 Squadron from RAF Tempsford in Bedfordshire. The aircraft developed an engine problem and the operational drop of the agents could not be made. On its return to England, struggling to keep the aircraft aloft, the plane flew into Tetworth Hill on the final approach to the runway at RAF Tempsford. Only the British agent survived with the three Belgian agents and six RAF crew killed as the Halifax crashed and burst into flames. Sgt Michaux was 21 years old.

The three Belgian agents were initially buried in Bedford Cemetery. The bodies of two were subsequently repatriated to Belgium after the war, but that of Sgt Michaux, with no immediate family in Belgium was relocated to Brookwood. He is buried in the Belgian plot, plot 26, row D, grave 13.

We had in attendance two people whose parents had been members of the SOE. Peter Doneux’s father was a member of T Section, survived the war, and went on to be a member of the British intelligence service MI6. Yvette Pitt’s mother was a radio officer in F (French) section sending over 400 messages from behind enemy lines in France and survived the war.

We have heard the poem The Belgian Flag before and it was particularly relevant to the ceremony today.

In a last-minute change, a visitor from Australia performed the Last Post and The Rouse for us today. Mrs Selena Courtness was visiting family and was brought along to the ceremony by our Membership Secretary. In a fascinating twist, Selena is the mother of Odette who joined us for the December 2022 ceremony where she spoke eloquently about her relative who was killed in battle during the First World War.

Wreaths were laid by Rudy Peleman on behalf of the Royal Federation of Belgian Veterans and by Peter Doneux on behalf of the Secret World War Two Learning Network.

Alan Lopez was our Standard Bearer and Denis Stewart carried Union Flag. There were a further eight Standards on parade.

The Rev. Peter Hills spoke about the Battle of the Somme and passionately delivered his usual wise words.

We are grateful to the two members of the public that very kindly agreed to say the Exhortation and Kohima Epitaph and they both delivered it very confidently.

The ceremony was video recorded and may be watched by clicking this link.

Afterwards, we retired to The Trench Experience for refreshments and to continue the stories.

Thank you to Paul McCue for the research into Sgt Michaux.

Thank you to Mike Hillman for the photographs and to Alan Meeks for the video.

A cool, overcast ceremony today, the weekend of D-Day.

Our Individual Remembrance today was delivered by Paul McCue and we remembered Canadian Private Joseph Johnston, Service Number D/76413 of the Royal Montreal Regiment, Royal Canadian Infantry Corps, 1st Canadian Army.

Private Johnston was born in 1900 and underage, signed up for service during the First World War. He served for two years before his age was discovered and he was discharged. He stayed in civilian life until the outbreak of the Second World War when he again enlisted. He served in the UK and died from an unspecified illness 85 years ago today on 7th June 1941, aged 40. He is buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery, plot 31, row F, grave 4.

The ceremony was recorded and may be viewed by following this link.

There were eight standards on parade with the Brookwood Last Post standard being carried by Alan Lopez.

Mrs Ruth Moore sounded the Last Post and we were joined by a student of Gordon’s School Pipes and Drums and she performed the Lament to a very high standard. This was the first time the student performed the Lament in public. Rob Bennett said the wise words.

The Exhortation was recited by WO Paul Dods RAF (Ret’d) who was visiting from Scotland and the Kohima Epitaph by one of the young cadets from Woking Sea Cadets.

Afterwards we retired to the Trench Experience for refreshments and to continue the stories.

A special thank you to Mike Hillman for the photographs and Alan Meeks for the video.