Our April Last Post today started by the sad announcement that our Treasurer for over seven years, Stephen Wood had passed away a few days before. Stephen had agreed to be the Treasurer during the days when the association was at its most risk of closing and had done a stirling job, delivering his last set of accounts for the AGM, held in February. He was 39 years old and will be sorely missed.
We remembered two individuals today during our Individual Remembrance section, both of whom died exactly 80 years ago today.
Our first was Private Arthur Maurice Dodgson of the Calgary Highlanders, Royal Canadian Infantry Corps. Private Dodgson died on the 6th April 1945, aged 27 years old. There is no record of how he died and he is buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery in the Canadian section, plot 50, row J, grave 5.
Sergente Giovanni Viti, service number: 86232 of the Italian Army also died on the 6th April 1945. Again, there is no record of how he died and he is buried in plot 15, row D, grave 21 of the Italian section.
Our poem today was by the American war poet Alan Seeger (1888 – 1916) entitled ‘I Have A Rendezvous With Death’. The poem was later put to music as a song. Seeger was killed during the Battle of the Somme on 4th July 1916, serving with the French Foreign Legion and nine months before his country declared war on 6th April 1917 – exactly 108 years prior to our ceremony.
There were eight standards on parade today, with Alan Lopez parading the BLP standard and Dennis Stewart carried the Union Flag.
We were grateful to see the Woking Sea Cadets, impeccably turned out with one member delivering the Exhortation.
Mrs Ruth Moore sounded the Last Post and Rob Bennett crafted the words of wisdom.
The Kohima Epitaph was said by a friend of Stephen Wood and we are grateful to him for being part of the ceremony today. Stephen’s family was in attendance today.
Finally, we retired to the Trench Experience to raise a glass in honour of Steve and to continue the stories.
The ceremony was recorded and the video may be watched here.
A special thank you to Alan Meeks for the video, Mike Hillman for the photographs and Paul McCue for the research into the Individual Remembrances.
Brookwood Last Post 