Bexhill
War Memorial.
IMPRESSIVE UNVEILING CEREMONY.
Bexhill
paid homage to the memory of its fallen sons at the unveiling of
the War Memorial on Subnday. The occasiosn was a very solemn one,
abnd a huge crowd gathered in the open spaces around the memorial
to await the procession, which started from the Town Hall. The order
was as follows:— Town Band, under Bandmaster F. Deeprose;
Coastgaurds, under Chief Officer Simmons; 6th Sussex Battery, R.F.A.(T.),
under Major R. Mayer; No. 2 Field Co., H.C.R.E., under Capt. Shirley;
Cadets (Holmwood), under Lieut. Bryan; Ex-Service Men; Volunteers,
under Hon. Lieut. J. R. de Lannoy; Women's V.A.D., Sussex No. 24.
under Commandant Miss E. M. Wilson, M.B.E.; Women's V.A.D. No. 38,
under Commandant Miss Bennett. M.B.E.; Men's V.A.D., Sussex No.
83, under Quartermaster H. F. Freeman; St. Peter's Sea Scouts, under
Mr. C. F. King; All Saints, Sidley, Scouts, under ScoutmasterElliott;
Girl Guides, under Commandant Mrs. Battine; York Lodge, A.O.D.,
under Mr.Challon; Court De La Warr, A. O.F., under Mr. Pratt; R.A.O.B.,
under Mr. Honeysett; Equitable Friendly Society, under Mr. Burgess;
Salvation Army and Band, under Ensign Fraser; Fire Brigade, under
Capt. F. G. Wise; Leaders of the Christian Science Society; Clergy;
J P.'s; The Sculptor, Mr. L. F. Roslyn, R.B.S.' The Hon. Treasurer
of the War Memorial, Councillor F. W. Vane, I.S.O.; The Hon. Secretary,
Mr. C. von Berg, I.S.O.; The Mace Bearer; The Mayor, Deputy Mayor
and Town Clerk; The Aldermen; The Councillors; The Superintendent
of Police and 15 members of the Bexhill Ambulance Brigade under
Supt. S. Shorter, also accompanied the procession. The total number
taking part was 750. Councillor F. B. Bending kindly acted as Marshal,
and Brig-General O'Donnell the directed the dispositions at the
memorial.
Among
the clergy present was the Rector (the Rev. H. W. Maycock), the
Rev. E. Mortlock, the Rev. J. Osborne, the Rev. T. Carey Knox, and
the Rev A. Rothwell Gregory. The Municipal party included Mayor
(Ald. J. Gibb). the Deputy Mayor (Ald. J. Rogers), the Town Clerk
(Mr. T. E. Rogers), Ald. G. H. Gray, Ald G. Coppard, Councillors
J. E. Stevens, J. F. Ash, T. Bodle, S. Baker, T. J. Walters, F.
W. Tidd, T. Davis. R. C. Hampton, R. C. Sewell. A. Goodsall Miller,
E James, H. Cockett, F. W. Vane, I.S.O., Mr. C. D. Greenwood (Borough
Treasurer), and the officials, including: Mr. S. T. Hill, Mr. A.
Flint, and Mr. G. Ball. There were also present: Ex-Alderman J.
A Paton, C W. Perrins, (ex-Mayor of Hastings) and Councillor Meads
(of Hastings.). Representatives of the Magistrates including Admiral
E. H. M. Davis and Mr. W. R. Dewing.
The servive opened with the singing of the hymn, “O God, our
Help in agespast,” the Bexhill Musical Society under Mr. Alan
H. Thorne, leading. The Rector led the Lord's Prayer, after which
Ald. Gray said that it was with very great regret they heard that
His Worship the Mayor had had a telegram from Lord Leconfield, saying
that he had been prevented from coming by the state of the roads,
and he thought that it was the wish of the people to ask Brig.-General
O'Donnell to unveil the memorial in his place.
Brig.-General
O'Donnell said that he thanked them cordiallty for having asked
him to perform the unveiling. It had taken him by surprise, but
he would do his Best.
Addressing
the public, Brigadier-Genera O'Donnell said that he had been called
upon suddenly to unveil their memorial without any preparation whatever,
and they must excuse him if what he said was not to their taste
or explicit or lucid. They were there on a very solemn occasion
to unveil the memorial to those men who laid down their lives for
them. He had served with the men whose names were on the tablets,
and many others like them. They sent out nine millions of soldiers,
out of which three millions five hundred thousand were casualties,
and out of those over six hundred thousand were killed. It was a
glorious record for any country. He had served in the trenches with
men such as those when there was no training and no discipline,
for they had no time, but it was determination, grit and endurance
that won the war. He had seen the men marching out to bombardment
and marching back after going out eight hundred strong with only
forty or fifty, and dropping with fatigue. They shouted “Are
we downhearted?” and the answer always came back, “No.”
“ Can we stick it?” Yes.” It was the spirit of
the men, grit, determination, and endurance, which were characteristic
of the British nation.
The
General then unveiled the memorial, a salute of nineteen guns being
fired, and “Last Post” was sounded by Coastguard Bradfield.
A silence of two minutes followed, and Mr. Charles King, late of
the Cameronians, sounded the Reveille.
The hymn, “Ten thousand times, ten thousand” was sung,
and Ald. G. H. Gray(C'hairman of the Committee) said that, as Chairman
of the War Memorial Committee, his duty, now that the work was almost
completed, was to hand it over to the Chief Magistrate of the Borough.
The committe had worked for many months on that great and lasting
memorial. and had had anxious times owing to circumstances which
it was outside their power to cope with. With the assistance of
generous friends who had come forward they now had the pleasure
of handing the memorial over to them as the War Memorial of the
Borough of Bexhill.
The
Mayor accepted the memorial on behalf of the town, to reverence,
protect, and maintain, and he trusted that before long they would
be in a position to make the surroundings more in accordance with
the memorial.
The Mayor then placed a wreath on behalf of the Corporation, and
other public representatives also laid flowers After the singing
of the National Anthem the public covered the base of the monument
with flowers.
Very
succesful photographs have been taken of the memorial and also of
the tablets before erection, the being to provide the necessary
material for a memorial card which is gto be issued later to the
families of all the men whose names appear on the memorial. A sufficient
supply will be prepared so as to enable copies to be purchased by
those who so desire.
