THE SOMME BUGLE NEWSLETTER OF THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION SOMME BRANCH ISSUE NUMBER 4 Winter/Spring 2009 Welcome to the fourth edition of the Somme Bugle. Last year 2008 saw 90th Anniversaries commemorating events of the last year of the Great War including the Armistice. This year 2009 not only sees the 70th Anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War but also the 65th Anniversary of what became to be the beginning of the end of the war in Europe, Operation Overlord – D Day. This year is also the 65th Anniversary of Operation Market Garden immortalised in celluloid as “A Bridge Too Far” In the following paragraphs you will find a brief report on some of the events attended by members of the Somme Branch since the last issue of the “Bugle”. Branch Events Round up – Steve berridge Branch Pre Armistice Day Social Evening – 10th November 2008 For the second year members and friends of the Somme Branch met up for an extremely enjoyable social evening at “Le Poppy” in La Boiselle. We were joined once again by our good friends the Band of the Hampshire Constabulary some of whose members played during the evening and after dinner provided the musical accompaniment to our now traditional sing a long of old wartime and patriotic songs. After dinner presentations were made by the band of a special plaque to the branch by their bandmaster and in return our Chairman Rod presented the band with a “Somme Bugle” an original bugle with the Hampshire Regiment crest on the bell, which was very warmly received. A member of the band sounded an excellent “Retreat” on their latest acquisition much to the delight of all present. Presentation of the Somme Bugle Armistice Day 90th Anniversary – 11th November 2009 This year being the 90th Anniversary of the guns falling silent along the Western Front at the end of what was then known as the “Great War” was commemorated at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. This year the band and standards were joined by members of the Herts and Bucks Wing of the Air Training Corps, who paraded their standards and a very well turned out marching contingent who followed the standards and band on parade. This year being a special anniversary it was felt that it needed to be marked by something special and our Chairman Rod did indeed organise something special! Bang on 11.02am as requested a solitary Hercules transport aircraft of the Royal Air Force made a fly past The Royal Air Force arriveth- over the Thiepval Memorial. What made this even more special was that the plane was from 30 Squadron, a squadron that had operated over the Somme during the First World War. Special thanks must go to Rod for asking, - the Royal Air Force for saying yes, - and to Monsieur Max Potie the Mayor of Thiepval for allowing the plane to fly in his air space. A Special thank you to Branch members Ken and Pam Linge for allowing us to use their superb photos of the “Herc”. The Royal Air Force departeth- Following the service in a break from tradition the standards and band followed by the congregation moved to the other side of the memorial to the Anglo French cemetery, where a number of French schoolchildren placed flags on the headstones in a very moving gesture organised by the Mayor. Afterward the parade remustered and marched to the Thiepval village church where a service was held at the village war memorial. Our third service of the day was another village service held as last year at Mailly- Maillet where the standards of local organisations joined the branch standard and the Hampshire Police band and the villagers in a march around the village to the village war memorial where the service was held. After which all were invited to a buffet in the village hall. Here we said good bye to the band who made their way back to catch the ferry to Blighty. The standard however was off again, this time to the village of Achiet-Le-Grand where a service was held in the Communal Cemetery Extension. Buried here among the fallen lie 36 airman of the Great War and for the past couple of years the Herts and Bucks Wing of the Air Training Corps have attended the service here on the 11th November organised by the Somme Remembrance Association. This year the branch was invited to attend this quite moving service, where once again the cadets turnout and bearing did them great credit. Commemoration at the Neuve Chapelle Indian memorial – 12th November 2009. On the 12th November the Branch Chairman and Standard had been invited to attend a memorial service to commemorate those of the old Indian Army who fought and died alongside their British counterparts on the Western Front 1914-1918. The Branch Standard alongside our French counterparts, a French Army band and guard of honour fell in around the inner walls of the circular monument. The event was well attended by dignitaries from many nations including an Indian Army General resplendent in “Rifle Green”. Indian Army Pipers were also in attendance to play the lament. The memorial itself commemorates over 5,000 fallen of the Indian Army who have no known Grave. The Indian Corps made up of 2 Divisions each made up of 3 brigades, each brigade containing 1 British and 3 Indian battalions, fought in the area around Neuve Chapelle in October 1914 and by the end of the year had suffered over 9,000 casualties of which over 7,000 were Indian. In the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915 the Corps lost 1/5th of its strength. The Indian Corps was disbanded in December 1915, but other Indian units continued to serve on the Western Front, probably the most well known being the Deccan Horse who are remembered for their cavalry charge at High Wood on the Somme. Somme Branch Poppy Appeal 2008 The Thiepval Visitors Centre collected a grand total of 1,916 Euros and £86 for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal from visitors to the Centre. As a mark of appreciation our Chairman Rod Bedford presented the Visitor Centre with a Certificate of Appreciation on behalf of the Branch. Branch Chairman Rod Bedford presents the Certificate of Appreciation to Vincent Laude, Manager of the Thiepval Visitor Centre. Members Article – A Few Rivers To Cross - By Steve Berridge 2009 sees the 65th anniversary of Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, in effect the beginning of the end of the war in Europe and Operation Market Garden a bold attempt to end the war by the end of 1944. A common dominator for both of these actions is the presence of members of my family regiment the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. Below is a short account of the actions of the 2nd (Airborne) Battalion of the regiment from D Day to VE Day which I hope may be of interest to you. NORMANDY (Operation OVERLORD) At around 15 minutes past midnight on the night of 5th/6th June 1944 Six Horsa Gliders carrying members of Major John Howard’s reinforced Letter D Company of the 2nd (Airborne) Battalion of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (2OBLI) (known regimentally as the 52nd due to the regimental affectation of calling the two regular battalions by their pre 1881 titles:- 1st Battalion were originally the 43rd Light Infantry and the 2nd Battalion the 52nd Light Infantry) began landing in Normandy, their task was to capture two bridges over the Orne River and the Caen Canal, vital to the holding of the left flank of the invasion, and to hold them until relieved by the 7th (Light Infantry) Battalion of the Parachute Regiment. At least that was the plan, in the event only five gliders touched down near the two objectives; number 4 glider landed further East near the bridges at Varaville on the River Dives from where they had to make their way across the flooded Dives valley, having many adventures on the way (including one of their number, L/Sjt “Tich” Raynor, being shot by a dead German!!), before eventually rejoining Letter D Company on the 7th June. The Canal and River bridges at Benouville were captured intact after a brisk fire fight and the code words for the capture of the intact bridges was sent out, in the words of the wireless operator Cpl Ted Tappenden, “ hello four dog, Ham and Jam, Ham and bloody Jam”. The “coup de main” party had lost two of its number killed in the assault, Lieutenant Den Brotheridge who died from a gunshot wound to the neck and L/Cpl Greenhaulgh who drowned in the “pond” after being thrown out of his glider when it crash landed. The two bridges were renamed Pegasus and Horsa in honour of their Airborne liberators. At around 3am the “Bridge Prangers” were relieved by 7 PARA who took over responsibility for the bridges and under whose command Letter D Company now came. Lord Lovatt’s Commandos moved through the position around 1330hrs but it was not until 2115hrs that a relief force from the 3rd Division that had landed at Sword Beach reached the bridges. During their “Longest Day” the defenders had been in constant action repelling counter attacks and under constant sniping. The rest of the Battalion arrived by glider during the evening of the 6th June. During the following days the battalion suffered many casualties in actions around Escoville and Herouvillette and in the holding of the left flank of the Normandy Bridgehead and were in continuous action in the line following the breakout and the advance to the Seine until being returned to England at the beginning of September 1944.