Remembrance

We Remember Them:

Florence Gleed

Branch representatives with the Standard were present at the Funeral of Florence Gleed who had been a member of the Torquay Branch Women's Section many years ago. She died at the age of 101.

George Wheatley

George had been a member of the Normandy Veterans and another RBL Branch. His funeral was in Torquay and our Standard and some committee members attended.

Jack Clegg

Jack had been a Branch member for many years, and also a member of the NVA and the Royal Marines Association. He and his wife, Glenys (she died a few years ago) had always been great supporters of all and anything to do with the ex-service community.

He joined the Royal Marines in 1937, saw War Service in Norway, and the Far East, but his  most notable actions were in the Invasion of Europe in 1944. As a Staff Sergeant he was amongst the  small group of experienced marines who recce'd the assault beaches some weeks before the actual landings to ensure that the beach conditions were suitable for the armour and other vehicles to get ashore, and then was amongst the first of the troops to land on the morning of 6 June.

He left the Service in 1947, and shortly afterwards married Glenys. They had a wonderful close knit family with him working mostly on his own account as a plumber and decorator.

Jack and Glenys will be specially remembered for their unstinting work for the NVA as Welfare Visitors. We, in the Legion, could always count on their help at Poppy Appeal time and Jack, smart as ever befitting a senior rank of the RM, with all his medals etc,
could always be assured, with his ready smile and witty banter,  to raise very large sums from the public. Like so many of his generation, who had seen, and had to take part in, the horrors of war, he was always ready to help those less fortunate than himself.

Branch members and the Standard attended his funeral on Friday 27 April Another gentle
gentleman has passed on, and we shall all be the worse for his absence.

Our very sincere best wishes go to his family.

The Rememberance Sunday Parade & Service 2011 was held on Sunday 13 November at the WAR MEMORIAL on Torquay seafront.

British Legion members discovered the problem with the pole in St Mary's Churchyard, near the town's war memorial, a short while before the traditional ceremony was due to go ahead on Sunday.

There was no time to fix it and the two minutes silence and the sounding of The Last Post had to go ahead without the flag flying or being brought to half mast.

Now they are hoping to get it fixed for the ceremony tomorrow for the remembrance service to mark Armistice Day.

Meanwhile in Torquay maroons, which were used to mark lifeboat launches and to signal the start and end of the two-minute silence at Remembrance services, cannot be used because they are no longer manufactured.

Alternative plans had been made to use a yachting race cannon but because of a shortage of time, a bugler had to take over instead.

Hundreds of people gathering at the War Memorial in Torquay were surprised when no bang called them to attention.

There were concerns the maroon had not been fired on health and safety grounds.

But John Elliott, chairman of the Torbay branch of the Royal British Legion insisted the maroons were not being manufactured anymore and had been replaced by the bugle.

He said: "It is disappointing as it does matter. But maroons are not available these days anymore. They've been overtaken by technology."

The Royal British Legion Totnes branch chairman Mike Boyle said legion members were 'disappointed' they had been unable to fly the flag.

It is thought the flag pole had been tampered with the evening before the parade, disconnecting the halliard from the toggle so that the flag could not be raised.

Totnes town council clerk David Edwards said the problem was discovered just before the ceremony and there was no time to do anything about it.

"I don't think it detracted from the overall event. A lot of people did not even realise what had happened," he said.

"We did raise the union flag on the Totnes Civic Hall so it was flying over the town."

Mr Evans insisted the Torquay ceremony was not diminished by the lack of maroons as the sound of the bugle took over.

He added: "We had the Last Post and at the end of the two-minute silence the bugler sounded Reveille.

"I was most impressed with the crowds attending the memorial service. Events in Afghanistan have influenced people's attendance. I was really pleased to see many youngsters in the crowd."

Torbay Council chairman Martyn Hodge, who attended the Torquay Remembrance Ceremony with his wife Dee, said plans had been in place to use an alternative to the maroon.

He said: "Maroons are not used anymore. We wanted to use a yacht racing cannon but it was too short notice. Hopefully next year we will be able to do that."

Mrs Hodge was proudly wearing her late father William Harvey's medals, awarded during his service with the Royal Engineers during the Second World War, as her husband laid a wreath at the War Memorial.

Cllr Hodge added: "We still had the Last Post and the ceremony went otherwise according to plan. Not having the maroon is not a major issue."

Bay MP Adrian Sanders said: "I don't think it caused any problems."

A Torbay Council spokesman said: "We tried to obtain maroons, which have been used for several years, but they have not been available.

"The council has discussed the situation with the Royal British Legion and we agreed that a bugler would be the most appropriate way of marking the start and end of the two minutes silence."

 

Once again, a high price has been paid by members of Britain's Armed Forces during the past year in Afghanistan. Since 2002, 332 have been killed and hundreds wounded, many severely. Most especially, many of these gallant veterans, who have been left scarred both physically and mentally, will need the support of the Royal British Legion for years to come. Today's Poppy Appeal is as relevant today as at any time in the past 89 years. It is only fitting, therefore, that the citizens of Devon have the opportunity to show their support for the servicemen and women, past and present, doing their duty on behalf of the nation.

Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November, is the day traditionally put aside to remember all those who have given their lives for the peace and freedom we enjoy today.

View our News & Events calendar for details of local Remembrance events.