Today, we held a magnificent ceremony with several hundred people attending.

The Mayor of Woking, Cllr Beryl Hunwicks attended along with many Scouts, Cubs and Beavers from Woking District Scouts.

The 1st Claygate Scout and Guide band led a parade of Scouters and accompanied the hymn and National Anthem.

Gordon’s School Pipes and Drums led the parade including the Mayor and members of the public.

Paul McCue delivered the Individual Remembrance, and read a poem by 14 year old Joshua Dyer called ‘One Thousand Men are Walking’. The poem was written this year as part of a Remembrance Day project.

For the Individual Remembrance, we remembered Pilot Officer Emil Fechtner DFC RAFVR. Emil Fechtner was born on September 16th 1916 in Prague. He was in the Czech Air Force when the Germans took over Czechoslovakia in March 1939.

He joined 310 (Czech) Squadron at its formation at RAF Duxford on July 10th, 1940. He downed several German planes, including an ME109, DO17 and a ME110. He survived a crash, collision in mid-air before being killed when he crashed near Duxford on 29th October 1940, piloting a Hurricane. He is buried in Plot 28, the Czechoslovakian plot of Brookwood Military Cemetery.

Four Scouts said the Exhortation and the Last Post and Reveille was perfectly sounded by a member of 1st Claygate Scout and Guide band.

Gordon’s School Pipe Major played a highly emotional Piper’s Lament.

Today, the Union Flag was paraded by our Senior Standard Bearer Tom Milne and our Standard was paraded by Alan Lopez. Our chaplain was Rob Bennet and the sound was managed by the Scouts, for which we are very grateful.

At the end of the ceremony, the Mayor inspected the Standards and presented brass shields to the Scouts carrying the Standards that attended the 11 o’clock ceremony on 11 November 2018 at the Menin Gate as part of the centenary commemorations.

Afterwards we retired to the Trench Experience for refreshments.

For a full set of photos by Antony McCallum, see here.

Photo credits include Kevin Barker, Brian Davis and Antony McCallum.

Our October ceremony was a quiet affair with around 35 people attending.

We remembered Richard Read, killed on 15 December 1914, aged 21. Private Read is commemorated at the Menin Gate, Ypres.

Alan Lopez was our Standard Bearer, Bert Stead our padre, Mrs Ruth Moore sounded the Last Post and Tom Milne our Parade Marshal. We were also joined by the Royal British Legion Surrey County Standard Bearer, Ashley Dickinson.

Afterwards we had refreshments at the Trench Experience.

Today marks 75 years since Ypres was liberated by the Polish armies, and the responsibility for sounding the Last Post transferred from Brookwood back to Ypres.

When Ypres was occupied in 1940, the daily service ceased. Mr. Edgar Ashley Cook, MBE, a successful Woking businessman (and a WWI veteran) heard about this and was upset by the stoppage. Together with a group of friends, he formed an organisation to replicate the Ypres service and the Surrey Last Post Association was born.

The first service was held in Brookwood Cemetery in January 1941.  Captain GFW Wilson, DSO, RN was the first President. Despite the difficulties of those dark days and other commitments, the service was held as regularly as possible for the next four years.

On the 6th September 1944 the Poles rolled into Ypres and the nightly ceremony was restarted under the Menin Gate. Tonight’s ceremony was the 27,393rd uninterrupted nightly ceremony held at the Menin Gate since the liberation.

Four Members of the Brookwood Last Post Association were at the ceremony tonight in Ypres. Our Chairman, Kevin Davis, Senior Standard Bearer, Tom Milne, Standard Bearer Eddie Jones and Treasurer, Stephen Wood. Our Chairman said the Kohima Epitaph.

We are extremely proud of Brookwood’s links to the Last Post Association and humbled by our involvement today.