Residents visit Menin Gate and pay tribute to borough’s fallen

>Nearly 50 residents from Sutton watched as a wreath was laid in memory of those from the borough who died in the First World War – at the nightly Menin Gate ceremony in Belgium on Saturday.

The act of remembrance was part of the borough’s ongoing range of events to help to highlight the centenary of the First World World War.

Organised by Carshalton author Andy Arnold who has written a book about those who feature on the Carshalton War Memorial chairman of the borough’s World War one co-ordinating group Lord Graham Tope was one of three who took part in the ceremony.

The others were:  Barbara Holes and Susan Wicks; both had relatives who were killed in WW1 and who are commemorated on Carshalton War Memorial.

1461076374“It was a privilege to be part of this iconic ceremony, which has taken place at the same time in the same place for many decades,” said Lord Tope.

“We three were representing all of the residents of Sutton brought together for a few minutes in this timeless act of remembrance allowing us to focus on those who lost their lives in campaigns around Ypres and in Belgium and came from the London Borough of Sutton.

The Menin Gate memorial contains almost 54,0000 names of those who died in the constant fighting in and around Ypres and includes 42 names of Sutton people.

The act of remembrance was just one of the locally focussed initiatives organised by Andy Arnold in the day others included visits to the graves of those from the borough who were interred in Commonwealth Ware Graves in the Ypres area.

Photographs of each of these residents and details of their war service were explained at each graveside.
For full details of all of the initiatives and events being arranged in the borough go to [email protected].

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