The First Division Help Walditch Remember

[wayne15071965]

Well this sure was a weekend to remember, and I am sure all those that where there, like me, will consider it to have been the best weekend we have had anywhere.

 

Our hosts at the Hyde, as always made sure we had all we needed in the way of fuel, hot water and a laundry.

 

This is the way it has been for the last four years, since we started coming to Walditch and the Home of E & G Companies. It was during our visit in 2010 that I was asked to say a few words in church, by the American Vicar, at the time about what we did, why we did it and why we had come to this part of the world. It was following this 5 miniutes of me going on that the spark was light amongst the villagers and church, and so the slow moving machine of council and church got together to remember those Americans who came to their village in 1943.

 

Our very own catering team laid on the best and most realistic GI food, straight from the army cook book, and although the colour was not great the taste was, this alone was something not to miss, but as this is now going to be more the norm for the unit, those who missed it have something left to wait for.

 

During the Saturday, the village hall was open to the villiagers and a display of all things GI and information about the camp with old pictures on display.

 

Marching down to the church with our colours, with very man in best uniform, polished shoes and in step, followed by the RBL colours and the colours of other Dorset based units and their veterans, to the sound of the church bell though the village to the church, where a large crowd was waiting for us.

 

The colours marched into the church and our colours are laid across the alter and blessed before the service began.

 

The Church service was one off the most moving things most of us have ever been to, with our large US Flag, that was donated to us in 2008 by the family of Lt Col Richard Waterer, and was last used to drape over his coffin, flying on the church pole, the vicar spoke of the great loss of American life on Omaha Beach and how the village had taken these young American boys to their hearts.

 

For my part I had to take the first reading, and in front of a packed church, full of clergy, councillors and veterans with more outside, I delivered a convincing reading.

Then they spoke of how, following a few words from me back in 2010 in church, lead them to the mammoth efforts needed to get a remembrance stone in place inside this 14th Century church..

 

Now this stone was unveiled by the deputy mayor of Bridport, as he remembered those GI in the village as he was 13 at the time of there leaving.

 

The colours where then collected and marched out of the church, the old guys from the RBL taking our lead to form an honour guard outside the church as we all left.

 

We then moved next door to the village hall where the village had laid out some great food and drink, for all to share.

We spent a great deal of time talking with the veterans and the older villagers who remembered the GIs in the village.

 

I think we can truly say that E & G Companies will never be forgotten now, and that we have left our mark on this part of Dorset, so they will never be forgotten.

[MikePL]

Great initiative! Good to see that you are keeping memory about the First Division on the Isles.

 

Greetings from BRO Poland.