Today our ceremony was themed around Belgium and we were joined by the Belgian Defence Attaché, whom delivered the Individual Remembrance and laid a wreath. We also had a representative of the Belgian Veterans Federation in attendance.

We had visiting Scouts from nearby Hampshire as well as Woking Scouts and we were grateful for the Scouts being on parade with a Standard and for delivering the Exhortation and Kohima Epitaph.

Our Individual Remembrance was Lieutenant Henri Hubert Gaillot. Lt Gaillot was born in Liège, Belgium in 1896 and fought in the Belgian Army during the First World War, awarded the Croix de Guerre, Médaille Militaire and the Ordre de Léopold.

In the Second World War, he volunteered for the F (French) section of the Special Operations Executive. He began his training at Wanborough Manor, just a few miles from Brookwood. Gaillot parachuted into occupied France in July 1943 and worked well as an assistant circuit organiser until arrested in February 1944. Deported to prison and later a concentration camp in Germany, now Poland, he was executed in the summer of 1944 and his body was believed cremated. He was 48 years old.

There were six Standards on parade. Tom Milne and Alan Lopez paraded the Union Flag and BLP Standard respectively. Mrs Ruth Moore sounded the Last Post.

After an inspection of the Standards, we retired to the Trench Experience for a cup of tea.

Thank you to Paul McCue of the Secret WW2 Learning Network for the IR and Mike Hillman for the photographs.

Our ceremony today was held shortly after the ceremony held by the Memorial Association for Free Czechoslovak Veterans.

As part of our Individual Remembrance we remembered Lieutenant John Richard Skeet. Lieutenant Skeet was a local lad, born in 1895 and his family is best known for the locally well known business, the builder’s merchants and iron mongers Skeet & Jeffs.

He was educated at the Royal Grammar School Guildford between 1906 and 1913. He subsequently joined the army as a lieutenant in the London Regiment Transport.

It’s unknown when he joined the London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) 2nd Bn but he was killed in action on the 27th April 1918 in France. He is commemorated at the Pozieres Memorial, Panel 85 & 86, France.

For the first time in our modern history, we were honoured that the chosen poem was read by its author, Anna, and is published here for the first time.

D-Day

Brothers in arms, walking arm in arm onto the boats
Encouraged by each other, fighting for each other
Clutching tightly onto their handwritten notes
From someone back home who loved them.

They watched the coast come into view
Took in the guns, tanks and bodies
Who would return? Nobody knew
But they knew they’d go down together.

First they jumped, then they swam, then they ran
Dodging bullets, guns and bombs
And in the mind of every man
Their purpose drove them on.

They shot and shot and shot
Each bullet saving another Frenchman
And although they mourned for the men they lost
They were overcome by the joy of their victory.

They sailed back together, Brothers in arms
The French, British, Canadian, American,
Czech, Slovak, Polish, arm in arm
They had fought together, they had won together.

We were delighted that The Venerable Dr (Air Vice-Marshal) Giles Legood, Chaplain-in-Chief and Archdeacon for the RAF HQ Air Command, RAF High Wycombe was able to say prayers and a blessing today.

We also had senior members of staff of both Brookwood Military Cemetery and Brookwood Cemetery say the Exhortation and Kohima Epitaph respectively.

Alan Lopez was our Standard Bearer, with Tom Milne carrying the Union Flag. Standards were also present from the Artist’s Rifles and the Woking Royal Naval Association.

Mrs Ruth Moore sounded the Last Post and provided backing for the National Anthem.

Afterwards we retired to the Trench Experience and caught up with our friends from the Memorial Association for Free Czechoslovak Veterans.

The ceremony may be fully viewed by following this link.

Photos by Mike Hillman.

We welcomed the 1st Oxted Barrow Green Scouts to our ceremony today.

Our Individual Remembrance subject was Soldato (Private) Giuseppe Martino from Frosinone, 70 miles south-east of Rome, Service Number: 45914 of the Italian Army. He died 80 years ago on 3 March 1944.

Soldato Martino, an Italian Prisoner of War (though Italy had capitulated in September 1943 and joined the Allies the following month) was engaged with another Italian prisoner and a British squad on timber work in the Scottish county of Angus. The two Italians were not authorised to operate tractors, but while the other men were taking a break, Martino attempted to drive the tractor up a steep slope. The tractor overturned on top of Martino and killed him. He was aged about 23 years old.

He was originally buried in Scotland and his body was reinterred at Brookwood after the Second World War in the Italian plot 16, Lincoln Avenue, row C, grave 3.

We were very privileged to have Jess from Gordon’s School sound the Last Post and Reveille today in her very first ever public performance using a genuine bugle. Jess has sounded the Last Post for us in the past using a cornet and we hope to see her back again soon.

Peter Hills provided the words of wisdom and Paul McCue delivered the Individual Remembrance and poem.

Alan Lopez paraded the BLP Standard, Tom Milne the Union Flag and we had standards from the Artist’s Rifles, the Royal British Legion, Knaphill, Bisley and West End branch, the Woking Royal Naval Association and 1st Oxted Barrow Green Scouts.

We were grateful to 1st Oxted Barrow Green Scouts for laying a wreath and providing Scouts to say the Exhortation and Kohima Epitaph. Our Chairman Kevin Davis is an Explorer Scout Leader and was honoured to participate in the investiture of a young Scout into the group.

Thank you to Alan Meeks for providing the photos and especially the audio.