Page 38 - QARANC Vol 14 No 13 2016

36 QARANC THE GAZETTE
very professional team and no attention to detail had been missed in the laying of the lunch tables which took on the QA theme of “Grey and Scarlet”.
To greet guests, at the entrance was a display of mannequins dressed in QA uniforms of bygone times, including those from WW1, WW2 and The Crimean War.
The buffet lunch was amazing and plentiful, taking into account all types of diet. Not one, but three cakes had been gifted by a firm supporter, and expertly iced to mark the important occasion, depicting the QA Badge.
During lunch we had the sweet harp melody played beautifully from the balcony by the very talented Katie Bayliss.
An Association friend and colleague, Maj Alex Saunders of 256 Field Hospital kindly offered to photograph the event, and took his hobby to the extreme by creating many wonderful photograph mementos of the occasion.
It was our first meeting with the new Chief Nurse, Col Karen Irvine, and her address was well received by the gathered QAs.
By the general chatting & hubbub, and feedback following the event, the day seems to have been a great success.
We would like to thank all those involved in making this a truly special day, especially members of 203 Field Hospital and of the Welsh Branch who gave up so much of their time.
Welsh Branch Mametz Wood 38th (Welsh Division) Commemorative Tour 6 – 10 July 2016
On 7 Jul 1916, seven days into the battle of the Somme, the 38th Welsh Division were directed to capture the formidable Mametz Wood, advancing suicidally uphill over open ground against sweeping machine guns and intense artillery fire. The attacks ended on 12 Jul in the clearance of the wood. There was vicious hand-to-hand fighting and innumerable acts of courage. They suffered over 4,000 casualties and over 600 dead.
The QARANC Association Welsh Branch decided a year or more ago that this was a commemorative tour that they would love to do. Spirit of Remembrance Travel arranged the tour and we were fortunate to be included in the official commemorations organised by the Western Front Association and attended by the British Legion, the cadets and the band of the Royal Welsh Regiment. Prior to the tour one of our members, Vamai Davies, had compiled many poems and readings from actual experiences and a book of WW1 songs, which added a new dimension to the tour.
Day one arrived and we travelled to our hotel in Arras, which was our base. The commemorations for the first three days centred around Mametz Wood. During our visits, various poems and survivor accounts of the battle were read out, either on the bus, in the cemeteries or on the battlefield. Father Ray O’Shea (an honorary member of the Welsh Branch) led most of the services, hymns were sung and wreaths and crosses laid by members at all the cemeteries
The National Service of Remembrance was attended by the Rt Hon Carwyn Jones AM, the First Minister of Wales. It took
place at the site of the magnificent Welsh Dragon Memorial described as: “A ferocious Red Dragon, in full fight mode, its claws tearing at barbed wire, glares down at the ground and the wood where so much Welsh blood was spilled in a single week in July 100 years ago”. As part of the official wreath- laying ceremony, Marilyn Williams, Chair of the Welsh Branch, laid a wreath.
As you looked at the memorial you were looking uphill to where the soldiers would have come over the top, and behind us was the wood. As we looked around us, once there were no trees left, the earth a morass of mud and a sight of desolation. Today was so different; the sky was blue, the sun shining, and the sound of bird song was in the air. The wood was dense with trees and the countryside was green with the occasional red poppy dancing gently in the breeze. Oh so different from 100 years ago. During the service there were quite a few emotional moments.
Following the commemorative service, we attended a reception in Mametz. The villagers were most welcoming, providing us with food and the wine and beer flowed, together with impromptu French singing. The band of the Royal Welsh Regiment (BRWR) performed on the green, children played, and laughter rang; what a contrast from 100 years ago.
Our next visit was to The Lochnagar mine crater where we came across a memorial bench provided by Wenches in Trenches, The Roses of No Man’s Land to commemorate and remember the often forgotten nurses and VADs of the Great War.