Anna Guérin
Anna Guérin, the Frenchwoman who first had the idea of using the poppy as a symbol of remembrance, died in Paris on 16 April 1961. A teacher and lecturer, Guérin presented her idea for an “Inter-Allied Poppy Day” to Legion officials in September 1921. Despite initial scepticism, they took up her offer to make a million poppies at her expense for Remembrance Day. A further eight million were produced in Britain. The first Poppy Day raised £106,000 (equivalent to €6.3 million/£5.3 million today). The Legion’s National President, Earl Haig, declared the Poppy Appeal should become an annual event thereafter.
Anna Guérin was first to use poppy as a symbol
of remembrance (The Salt Lake Tribune)
Starr libel victory
The Times reported on 20 July 1961 that a settlement had been reached in a libel case at the High Court of Justice in London involving former branch President George Starr, living in Brussels, and George Weidenfield & Nicolson Ltd, publishers of the English edition of the third volume of Charles De Gaulle’s war memoirs, entitled Salvation 1944-46. The book stated De Gaulle had expelled Starr from France at two hours’ notice and that he was guilty of seditious activities with the maquis. Starr, in fact, left France nine days after meeting De Gaulle in Toulouse on 16 September 1944 and was later decorated with the Croix de Guerre and Légion d’honneur. The publishers accepted the claims were baseless and paid a “substantial sum” in damages to Starr.
De Gaulle, on the day he met George Starr in Toulouse,
arriving at Le Capitole (2022.14.82)
De Gaulle addressing the crowd (2022.14.166)
(Musée départemental de la Résistance et de la Déportation)
Committee 1961
The membership of the branch committee was as follows in 1961. President: Colonel Peter R. Ashburner MC, Chair: B.R. Reynolds, Secretary: Mme A.T. Lorge. Members: P.I. Lake MC, J.W.B. Macready, Mrs J.W.B. Macready, Dr A. Jordens (Hon Dentist), Dr P. Maurice (Hon Doctor), Mrs M. Warr, R. Galère, K.O. Kenneth (Vice-Consul). Chaplain: Rev H. Isherwood MVO OBE.
Poppy Dance programme, 1961
Pompe it up
The annual Poppy Dance on 11 November 1961 was held in Brussels at The Royal (3 Rue De la Pompe), under the patronage of Ambassador Sir John Nicholls. The Luc Marcy orchestra provided the music with the Pipers and Dancers of the 1st Battalion The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) under Pipe Major T. Anderson. Writing in the programme, President Brigadier Peter Ashburner congratulated the committee for its excellent work with beneficiaries, with some 54 cases supported at a cost of over 37,000 Belgian francs in the past year. The committee carried out more than 80 welfare visits, some as far as Liège and the Ardennes. Brig Ashburner paid particular thanks to Chair B.R. Reynolds, to “indefatigable and very efficient” Secretary Angèle Lorge and Dr Paul Maurice, who arranged for two children to be accepted free of charge at a convalescent home.
Angèle Lorge and the Spaaks
Angèle ‘Teddy’ Lorge MBE, daughter of Brussels stockbroker Louis Lorge and his wife Jeanne, was a wartime member of the Belgian Resistance. She served as branch Secretary in the Sixties and Treasurer in the early Seventies. Her older sister Suzanne, a mother of two married to playwright Claude Spaak (brother of post-war Belgian Prime Minister Paul Henri-Spaak and screenwriter Charles Spaak), helped organise the rescue of Jewish children in France and joined the Red Orchestra. Arrested in Brussels, she was brought back to Paris and executed at Fresnes Prison on 12 August 1944, less than a fortnight before the city’s liberation. She was 39. A painting of Suzanne Spaak by René Magritte is in the Royal Museums of Art in Brussels.
Magritte painting depicting Suzanne Spaak (Royal Museums of Art)
Death of Vice-Chair
Members were saddened to learn of the death of former Vice-Chair Edward N. Ackroyd MC on 30 March 1962. He was 63. Born in York, Lieutenant Colonel Ackroyd served in both world wars and was the father of Monique Ackroyd, founder of The Bulletin magazine.
Committee 1962
The membership of the branch committee was as follows in 1962. President: Colonel Peter R. Ashburner, Chair: A.F.J. Harris, Vice-Chair: V.L.J. Snutsel, Secretaries (Joint): D.C.V. Cooper and A.G. Smith, Treasurer: A.G. Thorniley. Members: J. Brett, J.P. Brown, E. Johnson, J.J.R. Matthews, K. Ross, R. Stoppaerts, H. Ward.
Guards on parade
The six branches of the Legion in Belgium took part in commemorations in Brussels on 1-2 September 1962 to mark the 18th anniversary of the Liberation. Cheered by large crowds, detachments of the Welsh Guards and Irish Guards marched from Petit-Château barracks to the Grand Place, where they were welcomed by Mayor Lucien Cooremans. Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Wallace, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In the evening, the troops took part in an open-air concert and dressed the Manneken-Pis in the uniform of the Welsh Guards.
The Longest Day
Chair Bert Harris attended the fund-raising premiere of The Longest Day at the Eldorado cinema on 8 November 1962. Guests included Georges Rivière and Mel Ferrer, who gave news of his Brussels-born wife Audrey Hepburn.
La Fleur du Souvenir
The branch hosted a reception at Centre Rogier on 21 March 1963 to mark its publication of a collection of poems by Georges Springael entitled La Fleur du Souvenir, inspired by the British Legion poppy. One of the poems was a tribute to the poet’s brother Albert, killed in Battle of the Yser, aged 17. He had no known grave.
Cover of the poetry collection
Ixelles memorial
Members attended the inauguration of a monument to King Albert I in Avenue Macau, Ixelles, on 19 May 1963. The ceremony was led by General André Van Sprang and General André de Meeûs d’Argenteuil, representing Queen Elisabeth.
Aden Emergency
Hostilities were triggered on 4 October 1963 when a grenade thrown at British High Commissioner Sir Kennedy Travaskis at Aden Airport killed two people. Travaskis was among 50 wounded. The Yemeni National Liberation Front and Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen waged a guerilla campaign against British forces, which suffered 600 casualties including 90 dead. The British quit Aden by the end of November 1967.
Annual ball
Ambassador Sir Roderick Barclay and Lady Jean Barclay were among the guests at the branch’s annual ball at the Hotel Metropole on 8 November 1963. They were greeted by branch President and Military Attaché Colonel (later Brigadier) Peter Ashburner. Music was provided by the Luc Marcy Orchestra.
The Great Escape
The Belgian premiere of The Great Escape (La grande évasion), screened at the Eldorado on 20 November 1963, raised funds for the branch, the Royal Air Force Association, Fonds des Barbelés (the federation of former prisoners of war) and La Saint-Nicolas des petits déshérités. The Women’s RAF Central Band performed Hey High and Airborne, the RAF March and the the film’s theme tune. President Peter Ashburner, Chair Bert Harris, Secretary Douglas Cooper and Kenneth H. Ross represented the branch. Lady Jean Barclay led the British Embassy delegation.
A glorious gala fundraiser to mark the release
of The Great Escape (Le Soir)
Battlefield pilgrimage
Secretary Major Douglas Cooper attended a meeting of the Group of Combined Branches in Belgium in Ghent on 4 April 1964. Major Rivers from HQ gave a briefing about a planned pilgrimage to the battlefields of Belgium and France to mark the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War.
Devoted medics
The committee hosted a dinner on 29 April 1964 to thank Dr Madeleine Bihet, director of the Institut Edith Cavell, for her care of British veterans. President Peter Ashburner also thanked Dr Armand Colard for the care he provided to British airmen during the war.
Alan Thorniley MBE
Long-standing member (and future Chair) Alan Goodwin Thorniley was awarded the MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours on 13 June 1964. Major Thorniley served in the Royal Armoured Corps and later worked in the banking sector in Brussels.
Piron monument
Brigadier Peter Ashburner represented the branch and British Embassy at the inauguration of the Brigade Piron monument at Parc des Muses in Molenbeek on 6 September 1964. The memorial was unveiled by the Brigade’s former commander, Lieutenant General Jean-Baptiste Piron. Detachments from Belgium, Britain, the US, Canada, France, Netherlands and Luxembourg paraded. VIPs present included Colonel Georges Danloy, wartime commander of No.10 (Inter-Allied) Commando’s Belgian troop, representing King Baudouin, Mayor Edmond Machtens, as well as the ambassadors of Israel, China and Luxembourg, with the military attachés of the US, Canada, the USSR, France, Netherlands and Czechoslovakia. Branch members continue to attend the annual commemoration at the monument.
The Train
Peter Ashburner and Bert Harris represented the branch at the Belgian premiere of The Train at the Eldorado on 30 September 1964. One of the film’s stars, Michel Simon (Papa Boule), attended the screening. VIPs present included Ambassador Sir Roderick Barclay, his French counterpart Henry Spitzmuller, and Lieutenant General Jean-Baptiste Piron. The screening raised funds for charitable works in Belgium.
Death of Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill died at his London home, 28 Hyde Park Gate, on 24 January 1965, aged 90. Members took part in a tribute to honour the wartime leader at the Anglo-Belgian monument in Place Poelaert on 30 January. General Jean-Baptiste Piron and Mayor Lucien Cooremans attended the event, which was held at the same time as Churchill’s state funeral in London. He was laid to rest at St Martin’s Church in Bladon, close to Blenheim Palace, his birthplace and family ancestral home in Oxfordshire. His widow, Clementine, was buried in the same plot after her death on 12 December 1977, aged 92.
Waterloo 150th anniversary
Members took part in a ceremony at Hougoumont Farm on 18 June 1965 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. Also present were the Duke of Kent, representing HM Queen Elizabeth II, Ambassador Sir Roderick Barclay, Generaal Jan Remmelt Schoemaker, and the Mayors of Waterloo and Braine-l’Alleud. Poppy wreaths were laid at the French, Prussian and Belgian memorials on the battlefield and Chapel Royal in Waterloo.
Death of General Needham
The Times reported the passing of former branch President Major General Henry Needham on 29 August 1965. The General, who served as Military Attaché in Brussels in 1922 and commanded Bombay District from 1931-35, died in Windsor. He was 89.
President Michael’s tribute
New branch President Brigadier Michael Hunter CVO DSO MBE and Mayor of Forest Léon Wielemans laid wreaths on the Pont de la 2me Armée Britannique during a commemoration on 4 September 1965 to mark the 21st anniversary of the Liberation.
First-day cover signed by Peter Townsend (Alain Brogniez)
Book dedication to member Ivan Brogniez (Alain Brogniez)
Battle of Britain stamps
The General Post Office in the UK issued a set of postage stamps on 13 September 1965 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Member Ivan Brogniez, the late father of current committee member Alain Brogniez, snapped up a first-day cover. He later had it signed by former Vice-President Peter Townsend, together with the French edition of his book Duel of Eagles (Un Duel D’Aigles).
Bert Harris MBE
Ambassador Sir Roderick Barclay presented the MBE insignia to Albert "Bert" Harris on 29 October 1965. Harris had chaired the Brussels branch for 11 years.
CBE for Peter
Former branch President Brigadier Peter Ashburner was awarded the CBE (Commander, Order of the British Empire) in the New Year’s Honours List on 1 January 1966.
Dionne Warwick and Sacha Distel with artists from Viva Maria (Le Soir)
Dionne and Sacha sing for the Legion
US star Dionne Warwick and French singer Sacha Distel performed at a fundraising gala for the branch and Brigade Piron in front of a 2,700-strong audience at the Eldorado on 2 March 1966. The singers were serenaded by pipers from the Black Watch and introduced to Ambassador Sir Roderick Barclay and Chair Bert Harris, as well as General Jean-Baptiste Piron and Raymond Moos, President of the Brigade Piron veterans. Other attendees from the branch included President Michael Hunter, Vice-Chair Alan G. Thorniley and Vice-President R.E. Higgins. The gala, organised by Le Soir, also featured a screening of the Louis Malle film Viva Maria starring Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau.
Military music festival
Brussels hosted a festival of Anglo-Belgian military music at the Palais des Sports on 4 May 1966. Proceeds from the event, a curtain-raiser ahead of an official visit to Belgium by Queen Elizabeth II, were shared between the branch and Belgian military charities. Ambassador Sir Roderick Barclay, Brussels Mayor Lucien Cooremans and Schaerbeek Mayor Gaston Williot were among those in the tribune d’honneur.
Royal visit
HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip paid an official visit to Belgium from 9-12 May 1966 (footage). Accompanied by King Baudouin, they first paid their respects at the Anglo-Belgian Memorial in Place Poelaert, where 86 veterans provided a guard of honour. Brigadier Michael Hunter laid a wreath, as well as other members of the branch and the RAF Association.
A similar ceremony took place at the Colonne du Congrès, where the Royal guests signed the livre d’or, before setting off for the Grand Place where the Queen inspected British and Belgian veterans. Chair Bert Harris, Standard Bearer Eric Johnson and Jack Brett were among the representatives of the branch.
In a speech, the Queen paid tribute to the Belgians who fought with Britain in the Second World War, “distinguishing themselves on land, sea and air”. Those who risked all to serve the common cause of freedom would never be forgotten, she said.
During their four-day visit, the Queen and Prince also visited Antwerp, Liège, Brugge, Poperinge, Ypres (Ieper), Tyne Cot and Ostend, before departing by plane from Middelkerke (later named Ostend-Bruges Airport).
HM Queen Elizabeth II and King Baudouin (in uniform) greet branch members
including Chair Bert Harris and Standard Bearer Eric Johnson (right)
Another view of HM Queen Elizabeth meeting veterans on 9 May 1966 (Le Peuple)
Battle of the Bulge film
The Théâtre des Varietés-Cinérama hosted a fund-raising screening of the Battle of the Bulge (Bataille des Ardennes) on 13 September 1966. The show opened with a concert by French singer and actress Corinne Marchand. The audience included US Ambassador Ridgway B. Knight, General Jean-Baptiste Piron, Chair Bert Harris, branch member Colonel Jean Bloch, and Louis Olivier, Mayor of Bastogne.
Committee 1967
The branch committee in 1967 was as follows. President: Brigadier H.M.A. Hunter CVO DSO MBE. Vice-Presidents: N. Dewhurst MC, R.E. Higgins, V.L.J. Snutsel, A.F.J. Harris MBE, D.C.V. Cooper. Chair: A.G. Thorniley MBE, Secretary: P.M. Allen, Treasurer: R. Slingo, Standard Bearers: E. Johnson and J. Brett. Members: A.H. Bradley, J.P. Brown, H.J. Edmonds, A. Empringham, R. Galère, A.T. Kane, A.O. Smith, R. Stappaerts, H.V. Whenham.
Service Committee 1967
Chair: R. Galère, Secretary: A.T. Lorge MBE, Treasurer: R. Slingo. Members: L.E. Ahlberg (representing British Charitable Fund), Rev H. Isherwood MVO OBE, C. Jordens, T. Hennessy (Royal Air Forces Association), Dr P. Maurice OBE, S.E. Laurenson (Vice-Consul), H. More (Pro Consul). Delegates for Liège area: G. De Ville OBE, U. Hurard. Social Adviser: J. Christophe, Institut Edith Cavell. Dentist: Dr A. Jordens. Lawyer: Maître P. Lauwers.
Silver star
Standard Bearer Eric Johnson represented the branch at Nieuwpoort’s annual homage to King Albert I and the heroes of the Yser campaign on 6 August 1967. His presence was recognised with an Etoile Argentée (silver star), presented in the name of burgomaster Floribert Gheeraert and Jos Strobbe, national Vice-President of the FNC (Fédération Nationale des Combattants).
British Week
Belgium’s Prince Albert and Lord Snowdon, husband of Princess Margaret, opened “British Week” in Brussels on 29 September 1967. Lord Snowdon was accompanied by Anthony Crosland, President of the Board of Trade, and Ambassador Sir Roderick Barclay. Sir Robert Bellinger, Lord Mayor of London and his Belgian-born wife Lady Christine, were hosted by the Ommegang at the Maison du Cygne. A magnificent spectacle of martial music provided the week’s finale on 7 October in the Grand Place. Among those taking part were The Life Guards, Coldstream Guards, Black Watch, Irish Guards, Duke of Wellington’s Royal Regiment and Duke of Edinburgh’s Regiment. The Life Guards also attended a ceremony with branch members at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Piron honoured by branch
General Jean-Baptiste Piron, commander of the Free Belgian Forces in the Second World War, was made an honorary member of the branch on 18 October 1967.
Tombola prizes
The tombola at the annual Poppy Dance at the Hotel Metropole on 4 November 1967 promised three top prizes: a Burberry raincoat for ladies or men and Gor-ray tartan evening kilt, both donated by the English House, and two return tickets for a Zeebrugge-Dover crossing, courtesy of Townsend Thoresen European Ferries. Ambassador Sir Roderick Barclay penned a foreword for the programme.
Terence Stamp with admirers (Le Soir)
Stamp of approval
Terence Stamp made a personal appearance at the premiere of Far From The Madding Crowd (Loin de la foule déchaînée) at the Palais des Beaux Arts on 28 March 1968. The screening, organised by Le Soir, was in aid of branch funds, Brigade Piron veterans and the newspaper’s charity. Ambassador Sir Roderick Barclay and his South African and Israeli counterparts, M. Stern and Amiel E. Najar, were among the attendees. They were welcomed by branch Vice-President Bert Harris and General Jean-Baptiste Piron. The Royal Engineers provided a guard of honour.
Michael retires
Brigadier Michael Hunter stepped down as Military Attaché and branch President after retiring from the Army in June 1968. He was succeeded by Brigadier A.I. Hulton MBE.
Headline from Le Soir report on the death of Resistance hero
Notice in Le Soir (3 September 1968)
Death of "Le Faux Soir" hero
Journalist Marc Aubrion (code-name "Yvon"), the key instigator behind “Le Faux Soir” (see 9 November 1943), a spoof edition of the Brussels daily newspaper aimed at mocking the Nazi occupation, passed away in Brussels on 26 August 1968, aged 57. Le Soir produced a fulsome tribute a few days later and a notice of his death on the 24th anniversary of the Liberation of Brussels.
Galère tribute
Long-serving committee member Roger Galère represented the branch at a reception hosted by echevin Yvonne Van Leynseele at the Hôtel de Ville to mark the 24th anniversary of the Liberation on 3 September 1968. The delegation, including Major Georges Courmont, President of the Brigade Piron association, later saluted the “oldest bourgeois” in Brussels, the Manneken-Pis, dressed in the uniform of a sergeant in the Brigade.
Final salute
Vice-President Bert Harris and branch member Colonel Jean Bloch paid their respects at the funeral of Commandant Raymond Moos, former President of the Brigade Piron veterans, on 21 February 1969.
Death of Captain Dewhurst
A notice published in Le Soir on 27 February 1969 announced the death of former Vice-President Captain Norman Dewhurst MC. A reference to two of his decorations – the Serbian White Eagle with Swords and Greek Order of the Redeemer – hinted that his was not a typical military career. Dewhurst was in fact a globe-trotting spy who worked undercover in both world wars. Lucky to survive at Gallipoli, he served with T.E. Lawrence in Cairo and author Compton Mackenzie in the Aegean. Dewhurst was almost caught spying for MI6 in Nazi Germany. After cheating death in a bomb blast in Brussels, he worked for RAF counter-intelligence in Germany until he was demobbed in 1947. He returned to Belgium and joined the branch, serving on the same committee as George Starr and Peter Townsend. Fellow branch member H.J. Edmonds published a biography on Dewhurst in 1968. His funeral took place at Holy Trinity on 29 February. Jack Brett acted as Standard Bearer.
Biography by H.J. Edmonds
Dewhurst in Munich in 1937
Notice in Le Soir
Norman Dewhurst's funeral at Holy Trinity
Committee 1969
The branch committee in 1969 was as follows. President: Brigadier A.I. Hulton MBE. Vice-Presidents: R.E. Higgins, V.L.J. Snutsel, A.F.J. Harris MBE. Chair: A.G. Thorniley MBE, Vice-Chair: D.C.V. Cooper, Secretary: P.M. Allen, Treasurer: R. Slingo, Standard Bearers: E. Johnson and J. Brett. Members: J.P. Brown, A. Empringham, C.R. Reed, H.J. Edmonds, R. Galère, J. Reynolds, A.T. Kane, R. Stappaerts.
Standard Bearer Eric Johnson, right, and deputy Jack Brett
The Troubles
British troops were deployed in Northern Ireland on 14-15 August 1969 to help halt sectarian violence between Catholic and Protestant groups. It was the beginning of “The Troubles” which would last until the Good Friday Agreement, signed on 10 April 1998. More than 3,500 people lost their lives during the conflict, including more than 1,800 civilians and 1,000 members or former members of the British security forces.
Battle of Britain film
Pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain were guests of honour at the premiere of Guy Hamilton’s film of the same name at the Marivaux cinema on 24 September 1969. Former branch Vice-President Peter Townsend, an adviser for the film, was among the airmen present. He told the audience, which included Prince Albert and Ambassador Sir John Beith, that the air battle was the subject of his forthcoming book, Duel of Eagles. Olivier Delville of Le Soir opened the event with the famous words of Winston Churchill: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” The RAF Germany band performed Spitfire Prelude, Churchill March and The Dambusters.
Flying ace Douglas Bader (left) and Peter Townsend (right) on set with
Battle of Britain film stars Robert Shaw and Christopher Plummer
Prince Albert with British and Belgian pilots at premiere (Le Soir)
25th anniversary
The branch organised a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on 14 June 1970 to mark the 25th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The event was attended by veterans from all corners of Europe. The band of the 1st Kings Regiment, stationed in Germany, played at the commemoration. The Standard Bearer was Eric Johnson.
Coverage in Le Soir
Picnic parties and songs
The February 1971 issue of the Brigade Piron newsletter devoted a page to events organised by the Brussels branch of the RBL including picnic parties “up in the country in the pine trees” and fish and chips at the Queen Victoria Pub on Rond Point de la Loi. The newsletter also published the lyrics to popular songs such as Pack Up Your Troubles, Two Lovely Black Eyes and For Me and My Girl. Readers were urged to join the branch by contacting the Secretary, P. Myhill-Allen.
Newsletter published popular song lyrics
Royal British Legion
While the British Legion had royal patronage from its founding in 1921, members were delighted when it was granted permission by the Crown to add “Royal” to its name on 29 May 1971, the 50th anniversary of its creation. The change of name also had a more prosaic impact – it meant the branch needed new stationery.
Income headache
Speaking at a meeting of the Group of Combined Branches in Belgium on 18 March 1972, Vice-President Bert Harris warned of the increasing difficulty of collecting sufficient funds to meet its obligations. Brussels had not sent money raised from the Poppy Appeal to London HQ as it was all needed for supporting beneficiaries in Brussels, he said.
Golden wedding
The Times announced the golden wedding anniversary of former Chair Major William Parker Wrathall and his wife Alice née Pilkington on 26 April 1972. The couple, who celebrated at their home in Beaconsfield, married at St Michael’s Church, Headingley, on 26 April 1922.
Eric wins the Cup
Eric Johnson, representing Brussels, won the Standard Bearer Competition at the annual rally of the Combined RBL Branches in Belgium in Antwerp on 3 September 1972. Marks were awarded for drill, dress and procedure, based on the rules in the Legion’s Ceremonial and Services guide. These cover neatness of dress and general bearing, maintenance of the standard, sling and gauntlets, the order, movement and position, dipping for the National Anthem, carrying at quick march, dipping for Act of Homage and dipping in wet or muddy conditions. Some 200 members from Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Ostend and Ypres were joined by 70 members of the Brigade Piron for the competition. The trophy was presented to Eric by K.C.B. Chambers, the Legion’s National Treasurer.
The rally coincided with the 28th anniversary of Antwerp’s liberation on 4 September 1944. Reverend J.E.T.G. Williams, Rural Dean of Belgium, conducted a service at the Tank Memorial. The Band and Corps of Bugles the 1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets provided the music.
Eric with his trophy, family and friends including Viviane Pede-Moffatt, Jean-Pierre Pede,
Monette Johnson, Jackie Harris, Andrée Cooper, Marieka Moffatt and Paul Lintz
Committee 1972
The branch committee in 1972 was as follows. President: Colonel John F. Kenyon OBE MC. Vice-Presidents: R.E. Higgins, A.F.J. Harris MBE, A.G. Thorniley MBE, V.L.J. Snutsel. Chair: D.C.V. Cooper, Vice-Chair: R. Galère, Secretary: P.M. Allen, Treasurer: A.T. Lorge MBE, Registrar: Lt Col D.J.T. Stewart, Chaplain: Rev P. Duplock, Standard Bearers: E. Johnson and J. Brett. Members: A. Empringham, M.B. Evans, Major M.J. Reynolds, J.N. Higgins, M. D’Hondt, M. Nossent.
Sub-Committee Entertainment 1972
Chair: A. Empringham. Members: F. Empringham, M. D’Hondt, M. Evans, E. Thompson, H. Moffatt, M. Nossent.
Sir John and Lady Diana Beith pictured in the programme
Beith’s appeal
Jos Segers and his Orchestra filled the floor at the annual Poppy Dance at the Hotel Metropole on 4 November 1972, while pipers and dancers of the 1st Battalion Queen’s Own Highlanders performed during the intelude. Writing in the programme, Ambassador Sir John Beith called for a generous response to the Poppy Appeal, noting that the branch was actively supporting 45 local beneficiaries. “With the rise in the cost of living, and the increase in age of ex-servicemen and their dependants as the years pass by, the need for funds is an ever increasing one,” he said.
UK joins EEC
The United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community on 1 January 1973.
MBE for Gordon
Branch member and Normandy veteran Gordon D. Staple, owner of The English House clothing store, was appointed Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours on 2 June 1973 for services to British commercial interests in Belgium.
We’ll Meet Again
Forces’ sweetheart Vera Lynn, best known for her 1939 hit We’ll Meet Again, was guest of honour at the annual Poppy Ball at the Metropole Hotel on 16 November 1973. Member Flore (Fleur) Empringham later recalled how down-to-earth Lynn sang her most popular songs and brought “stacks” of records to sell in aid of the Legion’s work. Accompanied by husband Harry Lewis, Lynn was invited to Brussels by Chair Douglas Cooper and Flore’s husband Arthur, branch head of entertainment. Ahead of the event, several members attended a cocktail party for Lynn hosted by British Embassy Consul G.S. McWilliam.
Flore Empringham (left) and Vera Lynn at the 1973 Poppy Ball
Death of General Piron
Honorary member General Jean-Baptiste Piron, commander of the Piron Brigade and post-war head of the Belgian Army, passed away at his home in Uccle on 4 September 1974. He was 78. The general, who attended many branch events over the years, had just attended commemorations to mark the 30th anniversary of the Liberation when he had a heart attack. He was laid to rest in the “pelouse d’honneur” at Molenbeek-Saint-Jean cemetery.
Pat Kirkwood at the height of her fame
Kirkwood stars
Pat Kirkwood, star of film, stage and television, as she was billed in the programme, provided the cabaret at the annual Poppy Dance at the Hotel Metropole on 9 November 1974. Kirkwood found fame during the Second World War, performing at the London Palladium during the Blitz and was signed up by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the US. The then Duke of Edinburgh was one of her biggest fans.
Death of founder Chair
Horace Field Westmacott, the branch’s first Chair, died in March 1975. He was 85. Wounded at the Second Battle of Ypres, he met his future wife, Belgian-born Andrée Gavage, while recovering from his injuries. After their marriage the couple moved to Brussels, where Captain Westmacott served as a military intelligence officer at the British Embassy from 1921-34. The couple then returned to the UK. Andrée died eight years after her husband. They were laid to rest in Edington, Somerset, in the village where they wed.
Silver cigarette case presented to H.F. Westmacott by colleagues
at the British Embassy (Sir Peter Westmacott)
Brussels hosts rally
Brussels hosted the annual rally for the Group of Combined Branches in Belgium from 25-27 April 1975. The programme included a Beating Retreat by the Band of the Royal Marines in the Grand Place and a commemoration at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Ambassador Sir David Muirhead was “much pleased” to join the parade, Vice-President Bert Harris reported.
Farewell Monty
Field Marshal Montgomery passed away at his home in Alton, Hampshire, on 24 March 1976. He was 88. After the war he served as Deputy Supreme Commander Allied Powers Europe from 1951-58.
Committee 1977
The branch committee in 1977 was constituted as follows. President: Colonel E.W. Nicoll MVO. Vice-Presidents: A.F.J. Harris OBE, R.E. Higgins, V.L.J. Snutsel, G.D. Staple MBE TD, A.G. Thorniley MBE. Chair: D.C.V. Cooper MBE, Vice-Chair: R. Galère MBE, Treasurer: G. Lapthorn, Chaplain: Rev P. Duplock OBE, Standard Bearer: E. Johnson, Reserve: J. Brett. Members: P. Allen, Mrs M. D’Hondt, M.B. Evans, A. Empringham, H. Moffatt, M. Nossent, P. Sinnott.
Jubilee honours
Vice-President Bert Harris was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) and Vice-Chair Roger Galère the MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours List on 11 June 1977. The awards recognised their services to British veterans in Belgium for over 20 years. Branch member Hugh Oxley was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for services to British commercial interests in Belgium.
Chair Douglas Cooper sent a message of congratulations to the Queen to mark the 25th year of her reign. Standard Bearer Eric Johnston, accompanied by his wife Monette, represented the branch at parades at Horse Guards in London and Windsor Castle on 12 June.
Farewell Lee
Lee Miller, the celebrated war photojournalist who visited Brussels in November 1944, died of lung cancer at her home in Chiddingly, East Sussex, on 21 July 1977. She was 70.
Dancing to the RAF
The Sheraton Hotel in Place Rogier was the venue for the Silver Jubilee Poppy Dance on 18 November 1977, under the patronage of Ambassador Sir David Muirhead. The Dance Band of The Royal Air Force Band Germany and The Pipes and Drums and Dancers of The Scots Guards provided the music.
Committee 1978
The branch committee in 1978 was unchanged apart from three new members: D.S. Harrison, A. Lloyd Thomas and W.E. Warner. The Rev P. Duplock OBE joined the Service Committee as a co-opted member.
Ex-President resigns commission
Former branch President Lieutenant A.I. Hulton MBE resigned his commission with the Army Cadet Force in Powys, Wales on 26 April 1978 and was restored to his honorary rank of Brigadier.
Sir David Muirhead pictured in the programme
Dancing until 2.30am
The annual Poppy Dance on 18 November 1978 was held at the Brussels Sheraton Hotel, with music provided by the Dance Band of the 2nd Battalion The Royal Irish Rangers and The Pipes and Dancers of The Royal Irish Rangers. Dancing was from 8.30pm to 2.30am with a midnight tombola and buffet supper. In the foreword for the event programme, Ambassador Sir David Muirhead urged the public to give generously to the Poppy Appeal. “A sudden illness, an accident or just loneliness can all too often undermine the wellbeing of our veterans and it is to the Royal British Legion, with over 50 years of devoted service, who provide the necessary help,” he wrote.
Screening of Yanks was a fundraiser for the branch
Yanks avant-première
Yanks, directed by John Schlesinger, was screened in Brussels on 22 February 1979 at an avant-première fund-raiser for the branch at the Auditorium Du Passage 44. Starring Richard Gere and Lisa Eichhorn in her movie debut, the film depicted relationships between US servicemen and British women in the build-up to D-Day. The event was hosted in association with newspaper La Dernière Heure.
Gordon meets Alamein hero
Speaking at the committee meeting on 7 May 1979, Vice-President Gordon Staple revealed that while on holiday in Cannes he met the local RBL branch Chair, Major General Freddie de Guingand, Montgomery's chief of staff from the Second Battle of El Alamein until the end of the Second World War. The General invited Mr Staple and his family to his home for drinks, presenting him with his latest book, Brass Hat to Bowler Hat. After leaving the Army in 1947, de Guingand went into business in South Africa, retiring in 1971. He died in Cannes on 29 June 1979, aged 79. The committee agreed to make a donation of £20 for the Field Marshal Montgomery Statue Fund.
Douglas OBE
Chair Douglas Cooper was made an OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for services to ex-servicemen in Belgium in the Queen's Birthday Honours on 15 June 1979.
IRA bombs Grand Place
Seven bandsmen from the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment and 11 civilians were injured following an explosion in Brussels’ Grand Place on 28 August 1979. A device was detonated around 3pm under an open-air stage shortly before the band, stationed in Osnabrück, was due to give a performance. The Provisional Irish Republican Army claimed responsibility.
The attack came during a period of heightened violence during “The Troubles”. The day before, 79-year-old Lord Mountbatten, former First Sea Lord and last Viceroy of India, was killed by a radio-controlled bomb planted on his fishing boat at Mullaghmore in County Sligo, Ireland. His grandson Nicholas Knatchbull, 14, crew member Paul Maxwell, 15, and Doreen, Dowager Lady Brabourne, 83, also died. On the same day, 18 British soldiers were killed and over 20 seriously injured during an IRA ambush at Warrenpoint, Country Down.
Membership up
Figures for 1979 show that Brussels had the second highest membership in the country with 415 members – including 170 ordinary members (those who had served in the British forces) and 245 associate members. Ypres had the highest number with 582 members, split between 110 ordinary members and 472 associate members.
Friends for life. Eric Johnson
and Harry Moffatt in Liberty Square, 1979
Queen’s message
The branch hosted the annual rally of the Group of Combined Branches in Belgium on 15 June 1980, with representatives from the UK, France, the Netherlands and Germany also joining the event. The meeting celebrated HM Queen Elizabeth II’s official birthday, the 35th anniversary of Victory in Europe and 150th anniversary of Belgium’s independence. In a message from Buckingham Palace to Chair Douglas Cooper, the Queen sent “very best wishes for all concerned for an enjoyable and successful day”.
Starr’s final journey
George Starr MC DSO, the branch’s high-profile Chair and President during the 1950s, died in Senlis, France, on 2 September 1980. He was 76. Starr led the Special Operations Executive “Wheelwright” resistance network in southwest France from November 1942 until September 1944.
Montgomery statue
Vice-President Bert Harris, Chair Douglas Cooper, Standard Bearer Eric Johnson and other members attended the inauguration of a statue of Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery on 7 September 1980. The work near the Montgomery roundabout, created by Croatian sculptor Oscar Nemon, was unveiled by Belgian Prime Minister Wilfried Martens and General Sir Jack Harman, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe. The bands of the Grenadier Guards and Royal Artillery, as well as the Belgian Guards Regiment, played the national anthems as the Union Jack and Belgian flag were drawn from the bronze statue, depicting Monty in battledress and his famous beret. Major General Ronald Belchem gave a short address. The ceremony, which took place in bright sunshine, attracted a crowd of over 1,000 and was part of the celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of Belgium’s independence. The statue has a “twin” in London.
Unveiling of Field Marshal Montgomery's statue
Eric Johnson carries the standard
Bert Harris (left) and Douglas Cooper on parade
