A MAJOR commemoration to mark the centenary of Armistice Day and the Battle of Gheluvelt will be held at Gheluvelt Park on the countdown to Remembrance Sunday.
Members of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regimental Association will hold a short wreath-laying ceremony at the regimental stone in the park on Wednesday from 10.45am to commemorate the part played by those on the front line and home front in the First World War.
The ceremony will also celebrate the park’s inclusion in the Fields in Trust Centenary Fields Legacy Programme which was launched in 2014 to champion green spaces and their war memorials and to protect and honour the memory of the millions who contributed to the war effort a century ago.
Fields in Trust are working in partnership with the Royal British Legion’s ‘Thank You’ project to highlight the nation’s gratitude to the generation who served in the conflict and are showcasing one protected space each day at 11am on their website in the run-up to November 11.
The Regimental Association will also be in the park at 11.30am on Sunday for their annual commemorative service of the Battle of Gheluvelt.
Coun James Stanley, chairman of Worcester City Council’s Communities Committee, said: “Protecting Gheluvelt Park means the local community will always have a safe place for play, exercise or a quiet moment of reflection. The commemorative ceremony on October 31 will be a fine way to pay tribute and say ‘thank you’ to those who put their lives on the line for our country a century ago.”
Nigel Fish, chairman of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regimental Association, said: “The association is very proud to have a special link with Gheluvelt Park through our regimental forefathers, especially the 2nd Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment who went down in history 104 years ago as being the last of the reserves at the frontline of the Battle of Ypres.
“Gheluvelt Park is a lasting memorial to these men and their heroic actions on this day.”
Tim Phillips, chairman of Trustees at Fields in Trust, said: “We are honoured to include Gheluvelt Park in our national programme to commemorate the First World War.
“Protection of this site not only recognises the sacrifices made by those who gave their lives during the war, but also ensures future generations have a valuable green space to enjoy as a living legacy.”
