Page 81 - MERCIAN Eagle 2020

Worcester Branch
Nigel Fish, Chair & A/Secretary
It has been a very strange year during the coronavirus pandemic and our thoughts and wishes go out to all in the Association and Mercian Regiment in these troubled times.
2020 started well for Worcester Branch with an event held on the 28 February 2020 to mark the 50th anniversary of
the forming of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment; when
the Worcestershire Regiment and the Sherwood Forester Regiment amalgamated on the 28th February 1970. The event
was held at Barbourne Ex Services Club: Worcester the HQ of Worcester Branch. It was very well attended, and our thanks go to the branch Committee for all their hard work in organising the event. Our AGM was to follow in March 2020 but the first lock down put paid to that, as the branch has up to 40+ people attending. No meetings have been held to date and we hope that 2021 will bring better news for us all so that we can all meet again.
The plaque for the tree planted in memory of Maurice Smith
the Royal Artillery. Maurice was Secretary of Worcester Branch from 2011 - 2019. His wife’s uncle died of bayonet wounds received at the battle of Gheluvelt and Maurice took a keen interest in the park and the parades and ceremonies held
there. He was involved in the sourcing and siting and supplied the inscription
on the Malvern granite memorial stone near the memorial archway entrance to the park. He was very involved with the running
of the park representing Worcester Branch on the Gheluvelt Park Stakeholders Committee. He was highly thought of by the parks
committee hence they wanted a tree planted in his memory. Maurice’s family attended the ceremony placing spades of soil around the bedding in of the tree; they
were very pleased to be involved in the tree planting.
Afterwards Worcester Branch held their annual service to commemorate actions of the 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment at Vernon, France, 1944, crossing the river Seine, where in the 43rd Wessex Division they were the spearhead of the Allied
push into north west France. The town of Vernon also holds a remembrance service on this date, laying flowers on the Allied graves. The branch also remembered the actions of the 2nd and 7th Battalions of the Regiment in Burma 1944-45 and the 1st Battalion in the Malay Emergency 1950-53. And used the occasion as an opportunity
to remember the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment by laying a wreath at the WFR Memorial Bench. The 25 October 2020 was the Annual Battle of Gheluvelt Service held at the Interpretative Feature in Gheluvelt Park, Worcester. Unfortunately, due to restriction on numbers it was another scaled back event with only six members of Worcester Branch present alongside other guests including the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, Brigadier Roger Brunt CBE, The High Sheriff of Worcestershire,
Lt Col (Retd.) Mark Jackson OBE (also President of Worcester Branch), The
Right Worshipful the Mayor of Worcester, Councillor Jo Hodges, and Capt Matt Styles of 4 MERCIAN.
VJ75 by the war memorial outside Worcester Cathedral
On the 15 August 2020, although scaled down due to COVID-19 restrictions, we were proud to be part of the 75th anniversary of VJ Day
ceremony held at the
Guildhall and the war
memorial outside Worcester
Cathedral. Our Branch
President, Lt Col (Retd.)
Mark Jackson OBE, was
there in his role as High
Sheriff of Worcestershire
and was joined by Parade
Marshal John Walters and
Standard Bearer Alan Fish.
On 26 August 2020, a
miniature black pear tree was planted in Gheluvelt park, near the Worcestershire Regimental Stone, in memory of Maurice Smith of the Worcestershire Regiment and
He was highly thought of by the parks committee hence they wanted a tree planted in his memory
WFR50 celebrations in February 2020
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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