Page 45 - Devon and Dorset 2024

THE DEVONSHIRE AND DORSET REGIMENTAL ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER 43
Our monthly service in Sherborne continues to
attract a sizeable gathering to hear the names
of those in the Regiment, in all its various forms,
who were killed in the conflicts of the 20th
and 21st centuries. Although it is usually held
in the Lady Chapel, which doubles up as the
Regimental Chapel, when we have a particular
occasion to remember we move to the main part
of the abbey.
During 2024 we commemorated two important
battles in which the Dorsets were involved eighty
years ago. The first was in May and marked the
Battle of Kohima, which was a turning-point in
the war in the Far East. Reading the names of the
fallen was Jenny Jeapes, the daughter of Lt Col
Geoffrey Knocker White DSO, who commanded
the 2nd Battalion in Burma and then wrote a
dazzling account of its history from Dunkirk, via
Kohima to beyond Mandalay. Several relatives of
participants in the battle joined the congregation.
It was a deeply moving occasion for us all.
Then in September we remembered the Battle
of Arnhem, in which the 4th Dorsets played a
Remembering the Fallen
The Regiment’s Monthly Sherborne Abbey Service of Remembrance
(on the third Friday of each month at 1100 hrs)
huge part and were effectively destroyed while
trying to rescue the beleaguered airborne forces,
who usually get more public recognition for their
participation than the Dorsets. Paul Roper, son
of Col Philip Roper who commanded a company
in the Battle, read the names and
again we were joined by numerous
other relatives of participants who
attended to hear them.
One other welcome contribution
which has raised both the profile
and the quality of the sound of our
service comes from the regular
attendance of buglers from 6 and
7 Rifles. Not only do they play Last
Post and Reveille with musical
perfection; they also embody our
regimental succession to our present identity as
Riflemen. This is especially appropriate because
at our service we also read the names of men
of The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment and of
The Rifles who more recently gave their lives in
Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Iraq and Afghanistan.
It will be The
Rifles who will
continue the
fine tradition of
remembering
our fallen
It will be The Rifles who will continue the fine
tradition of remembering our fallen every month
in Sherborne Abbey long after we have gone to
join the ranks of our departed regimental family.
We ensure that the readers represent more
than just those who served in the
regiment by inviting politicians and
other civic representatives of both
the county and the town, not least
because the fourth book contains
the names of those citizens of
Sherborne, both military and civilian,
who were killed during the wars.
A reminder for those who would
like to attend. The service takes
place every month on the third
Friday (except when it falls on Good
Friday) and starts at 11am. It lasts for about 15
minutes and we then catch up on all the gossip
and news over coffee in a local hostelry, which
often lasts a little longer.
For anyone wanting further details please
contact John Gaye at jdgaye@mac.com