Today’s Last Post was in conjunction with Woking District Scouts. 90 uniformed young people, together with leaders and the 1st Claygate Scout and Guide Band made for an incredible and moving ceremony. There were approximately 200 people in attendance including the Mayor of Woking and the Surrey Scouts County Commissioner.

Woking District Standard Bearers

Woking District Scouts

1st Claygate Scout and Guide Band

We remembered Marc Nobel from Norfolk. Marc was 10 years old when he attended the first ever Scout camp by Baden-Powell on Brownsea Island in 1907.

Marc went on to become a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery and died of wounds received near Boeshinghe, Ypres on July 1st 1917, ‘Whilst showing great bravery in trying to get help for his wounded comrades’. He was just 20 years of age.

Marc is buried in the Ferme-Olivier Cemetery, Elverdinghe.

Tom Milne was our Standard Bearer and our bugler was one of the young members of the 1st Claygate Scout and Guide Band.

Afterwards, many went round to The Trench Experience where there were refreshments and a camp fire to keep people warm.

The Trench Experience

The Trench Experience Camp Fire

Today was the final Last Post for Mrs Sue Stallard acting in the capacity as our Standard Bearer. She has passed the Standard over to Tony Brannigan for future meetings. Next year the BLP Union Flag is 50 years old, and Sue will be our Senior Standard Bearer and will parade the Union Flag occasionally.

Today we remembered three men who were killed exactly 100 years ago today on 1st October 1917. Sergeant P O’Neill, Gunner Patrick McGuill and Gunner William McKenna of the ‘A’ Bty 315 Brigade (2nd Army Support) killed on Hill 60 part of the Ypres Salient. They are buried next to each other in the Hooge Crater Cemetery. We will remember them.

We also were fortunate enough to dedicate the new Standard for the Artist’s Rifles. The Standard Bearer was Eddie Jones.

The Maverick Explorer Unit represented Woking District Scouts and the Standard Bearer was Alan Lopez.

The Last Post was sounded by Mrs Ruth Moore.

Yesterday, our September ceremony was held in conjunction with members of the Royal British Legion. The Carshalton, Wallington and District Branch were dedicating a new Standard and we were very privileged to witness the march off of the old Standard, and the march in of the new Standard.

Marching off of the old Standard

March in of the new Standard

We remembered Woking resident John Parton Gabriel. In September 1939 John was selected for special training due to his influential friends in the Balkans, his fluent French and German and working knowledge of Russian. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lt and served as an Intelligence Officer with GCHQ in France.

On 7th June 1940, he married Clothilde Catherine Ward, whose mother was of German descent. Shortly afterwards, John was informed that his services would no longer be required in intelligence because of the perceived security risk. He was posted to the Royal Berkshire Regiment for a brief period until the ban was lifted some six months later. He re-joined the Intelligence Corps with the rank of acting Captain.

After serving for a period in Cairo, he was actually travelling incognito on an armed merchant ship in convoy, along with three other intelligence officers. The ship was torpedoed but John and his colleagues were rescued by another vessel, only for it to be torpedoed some hours later. This time he did not escape and was declared lost at sea on 24th February 1941.

At the end of the ceremony and after the dedication of the new Standard, Mr David Plattern, Chairman of Surrey County Royal British Legion and Brookwood Last Post Chairman, Malcolm Head inspected the Standards.

The Last Post and Reveille were sounded by Mrs Ruth Moore.

Afterwards, we went round to The Trench Experience for some refreshments and to listen to some tunes by Keith.