Commemoration service for Passchendaele heroes

The evening event held at St Mary’s Church was organised by members of the Royal British Legion, on Friday, July 28.

The service also included the laying up of the old Royal British Legion Stotfold Branch Standard and the dedication of the new Standard for the amalgamated Stotfold and Arlesey Branch.

The service was officiated by the vicar, the Rev Bill Britt and was well attended with Legion branch Standards and RBL members, along with others from the community.

Those attending included Eric Robinson, RBL Bedfordshire county chairman, Brian Saunders, Central Bedfordshire vice-chairman and Alan Cooper, mayor of Stotfold.

They jointly read out the names from the Stotfold World War One Roll of Honour during the service of commemoration.

In support were Standards from other local RBL branches, including Flitwick, Haynes, Cotton End, Clapham, Wilstead, Biggleswade including Stotfold and Arlesey.

In addition, the Standard of R.E.M.E. Dunstable and R.A.S.C. Bedford branches were present.

Peter Rogers was the Stotfld and Stotfold and Arlesey Standard Bearer during the laying up and dedication.

Stotfold and Arlesey Branch chairman Andy Fievez was the parade marshal.

The Battle of Passchendaele, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was fought from July to November 1917, for control of the ridges south and east of the Belgian city of Ypres in West Flanders and was one of the worst for casualties.