Sergeant David O’Dyer opened the meeting and introduced President Alain who welcomed all present including honorary Member Ian as well as visiting Rotarian Adrian Crowe from Surfers Sunrise. Alain also welcomed the Hutchison family group – Russ, Edwina, Jim and Judy and guest Neville Kerrison.
Noel Hodges then proposed a toast to the various Youth programs of Rotary International.
Reports
Harold Bush reported on the working bee held at Cedar House, Worongary on the previous Saturday. One of the key learnings of the day was that when you plan to erect shade sails – make sure you invite someone with the necessary know how to join in.
Sergeant David conducted his usual hilarious Sergeants session successfully lightening our pockets once again. Bunyips were Bill Rex and Peter Dimond.
The winner of the raffle was Neil Baldwin and heads and tails winner was Ian Cowen.
Guest Speaker Segment
Russ Hutchison gave us a very interesting account of his recent trip to Europe. This time he took along his daughter Edwina and grandson Jim.
The first area they visited was Verdun an area of battle during World War 1.
Its population is 18,000 and its located 260 k’s east of Paris. The highlight there is the French national memorial & ossuary. The ossuary holds the skeleton remains of 160,000 French soldiers and some German soldiers, with the cemetery out the front - an amazing site with 12,412 French soldiers buried here. The French had something like 1.4 million soldiers killed in world war one, mainly here at Verdun.
Also here is the tomb of the Unknown Soldier after the war was selected. The French had 8 caskets with 8 unknown French soldiers---the prime minister walked between, touched one of the caskets, so in early 1920’s this became the tomb of the unknown soldier at the arch de triumph in Paris, where a service of remembrance is held each evening.
Next they travelled north east to Metz, a very interesting city with a magnificent cathedral about 500 years old. Next day they headed off to more memorials, crossed the border into Germany to a town called Mettlach, where at lunch, grandson Jim was able to down his first legal beer. This was followed by travel through four countries in one day en-route to Luxembourg for afternoon tea.
Luxembourg was a World War 2 zone. There they went to the American cemetery & memorial to view the grave of General George s Patton’s final resting place. He was killed in Germany in a motor accident after the war in December 1945. They also visited a German war cemetery close by.
Nearby at the Ardeen American cemetery & memorial - oh wow - as you enter beautiful gardens parkland trees with a large memorial in the distance, then you see the memorial, thousands of American soldiers graves, it truly takes your breath away.
Next nearby, they visited another German cemetery from world war two, and then a spot where two British planes were shot down returning from a bombing raid - killing the 10 occupants, some from New Zealand and Australia on board. That battle has subsequently become known as the ‘’battle of the bulge’’.
Next – onto Bastogne, east Belgium, Ardennes forest, near Luxembourg---another world war two zone. Commencing on 16th December 1944 until 25th January 1945 - 200,000 German troops, equipped with 1,000 tanks engaged in battle against 80,000 American soldiers. The Americans had no idea the Germans had amassed such a huge army, assuming it would not be possible to come through the dense Ardennes forest, that runs through western Germany, eastern Belgium then Luxembourg.
But they did, surrounding Bastogne, encircling the Americans there for 6 days during bad, middle of winter weather. The Americans ran out of supplies—and this was the elite US 101st airborne division. There are lots of memorials to them, this developed into one of the biggest battles of world war two in Europe.
Next phase was onto Leuven, Belgium - an area Russ had always wanted to visit. Its population 95,000 is the city wrecked by the Germans in world war one features an amazing library, bombed and burnt at that time. This building, now restored to its former glory, held an amazing collection of books and medieval documents all destroyed - very sad.
Next, heading west then south towards Poperinge, different memorials, cemeteries, where they visited a German cemetery that has the graves of 46,000 soldiers, including the famous statues of a German father and his wife grieving over the loss of their son - all very moving. In this cemetery there are ten soldiers to a grave. Close by was a Belgium cemetery also.
The next phase was to Ypres - in Flanders fields. It’s 123 k’s south of Brussels very close to the French border. It has a population of 35,000. In this and surrounding areas there are 230 British Commonwealth war cemeteries and memorials. In all, the British have built over 900 war cemeteries/memorials on the western front, that includes Flanders fields in Belgium with another 2,000 built next to the local town cemetery, with Australians buried in over 500 of these final resting places - all up over 3,000 cemeteries, from world war one
Ypres was a medieval city, completely flattened by German bombs in world war one, including the famous cathedral and cloth hall. The rebuild of the cloth hall back to its original state took 67 years. It’s now called the Flanders fields museum. On 6th June 1917, 19 huge bombs/explosives were let off by the British - killing in excess of 10,000 German soldiers. It was the biggest explosions ever known until then. Many now know of the film of the Australian soldiers who were involved - called hill 60.
On 31st July to 10th November 1917, the third battle of Ypres or the battle of Passchendaele took place. The statistics are 325,000 British casualties 260,000 Germans and 38,000 Australians.
If you visit this area of Flanders fields make sure to visit Tyne cot cemetery and memorial. As you enter a speaker near you says the name of a soldier killed and once inside shows his photograph.
In Ypres, the Menin gate memorial was built in the 1920’s. It has the names of 55,000 British soldiers who died in Flanders fields as well as Canadians and 6,000 Australian names with no known grave including Cec McFaul’s uncle. There, every night since 1928 they have held a remembrance service. At the evening service if you wish to participate you write to the last post association giving the date you wish to lay a wreath in remembrance etc. Russ had requested for Edwina and Jim to lay a wreath on Tuesday 10th April. Should you look up the last post association you will now see Hutchison family, Australia.
Whilst over there it was 100 years since Diana’s uncle Charlie Harrington, age 20 was killed on the western front on 5th April 1918. Sadly, this is where Russ’s wife Diana passed away six years ago.
In conclusion, Australia’s population before 1914 was under 5 million, with 62,000 Australian soldiers killed in world war one - Gallipoli, the western front including Flanders fields. Even worse, from 1919 to 1930 after returning back home to Australia – approx. 60,000 former soldiers died from their wounds or took their lives unable to cope in subsequent years.
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