Today November 11th, I decided to make a return to the Remembrance Service in Lunenburg, I was last there for this event in 2017.
The Lunenburg War Memorial, the large four-sided granite monument, bears the names of those who fell during World War I ~
The memorial is made of grey granite in the form of a semi-circle with four columns. On the edges of the top band are engraved the General Service crest on the left, and the Town of Lunenburg crest on the right. Upon the face is engraved "THEIR NAME LIVETH FOREVERMORE". On the edges of the base are engraved 1939 to the left and 1945 to the right. A stone engraved with "Korea 1950-1953" has been placed as an addition on the base at the front of the monument.
The monument below is to Camp Norway which was located in Lunenburg during World War II ~ more can be read about
this camp on my blog from 2017 ~
Remembrance
Day 2017 ~ Lunenburg
https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2017/11/remembrance-day-2017-lunenburg.html
Photos of the march past and a flyover courtesy of RCAF Greenwood ~
As always during the moment of silence my thoughts are for the 1.7 million from the Commonwealth who paid the ultimate price during two world wars and now remain under the perpetual care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) at 23,000 locations in 153 countries. In death they each of them gifted to us a way forward, but looking out into the world today, we witness the on-going wars and conflicts, the hectic pace of rearming, the billions spent on developing more sophisticated weapons, I have to ask ~ are we using their legacy wisely ~ I think not …
Within my family, I currently know of
seven who served in either WWI or WWII, of those five who never came home, they are ~
Hugh Wright aged 26, 2003820, Royal Engineer,
died 21 October 1944, buried at Leopoldsburg War Cemetery, Limburg, Belgium.
John Kerr aged 19, Clyde Z/4980, Drake
Battalion, Royal Naval Division, died 4 February 1917, buried at Hamel Military
Cemetery, Beaumont ~ Hamel, Somme, France.
Hugh Wright aged 32, 4511, Black Watch (Royal
Highlanders), died 30 June 1916, buried at Southern Necropolis Cemetery,
Glasgow, Scotland.
George Maxwell aged 63, Merchant Navy (S.S.
Arbonne), lost at sea on 24 February 1916, commemorated at Tower Hill Memorial,
London, England.
and …
Hugh James Wright aged 21, 40539, The 10th
Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, died 2 October 1918, buried
Joncourt British Cemetery, Joncourt, Aisne, France.
Hugh James
Wright is the most recent to be added to my list. I only discovered him late
last year during some family tree research. He is my first cousin twice
removed, translated that means ~ my great grandfather’s brother’s son, putting him on the same generational level as
my grandparents. He was born in 1897 in Bridgeton, Glasgow to John Wright and
Mary Wheelan Walker.
With service number 40539, he was in the 10th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders. Hugh was killed on October 2nd, 1918, just 40 days
before the Armistice was signed on November 11th. He is buried at Joncourt
British Cemetery, Joncourt, Aisne, France.
The village
of Joncourt was immediately west of the German fortification called the
Beaurevoir-Fonsomme Line. It was captured by Australian troops on 30 September
1918, and cleared by the 5th Australian and 32nd Divisions on the following
day.
Joncourt
British Cemetery contains 61 WWI burials, of that number 3 remain unidentified
~ “Known Unto God”. The 10th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders account for 55
out of the 61. All of the graves’ date from the period 30 September to 4
October 1918.
From the
above grave photo, you will note that Hugh James Wright shares the same gravestone
and possibly the same grave as that of Private Christopher Mundell aged 19 (born
21 November 1898), this is in fact typical for this cemetery. Christopher, originally
from Maxwelltown, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland was the son of Robert
Grierson Mundell and Janet Geddes Connor of 648, Shettleston Road, Shettleston,
Glasgow. Like Hugh he was part of the 10th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders and was also killed on October 2nd, 1918.
Next year I plan to visit Hugh’s grave and also revisit three other family war graves in Scotland, France and Belgium.
Below are Hugh and Christopher’s CWGC documents ~
Other related blogs ~
Hugh Wright
https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2017/10/hugh-wright.html
Remembered 100 years on
https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2017/02/rememdered-after-100-years.html
The Lost Voices of WWII RAF/RCAF Greenwood
https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-lost-voices-of-rafrcaf-greenwood_29.html
The Lost Voices of WWI Middleton and District
https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-lost-voices-of-wwi-middleton-and.html
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth ..
https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2020/06/oh-i-have-slipped-surly-bonds-of-earth.html
One of many, remembered today …
https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2018/11/one-of-many-remembered-today.html
WWII RAF Ferry Command, Newfoundland
https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2020/11/wwii-raf-ferry-command-newfoundland.html
Remembrance Day 2016 ~ Halifax
https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2017/01/remembrance-day.html
Remembrance Day 2017 ~ Lunenburg
https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2017/11/remembrance-day-2017-lunenburg.html
Remembrance Day 2019 ~ Bridgewater
https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2019/11/remembrnce-day-2019-bridgewater.html
Remembrance Day 2020 ~ Bridgewater
https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2020/11/remembrance-day-2020-bridgewater.html
Remembrance Day 2021 ~ Mahone Bay
https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2021/11/remembrance-day-2021-mahone-bay.html
Remembrance Day 2022 ~
https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2022/11/remembrance-day-2022.html
Alberta 2023 ~ Remembering LCpl. Alexander Collie
and The Lovat Scouts ...
https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2023/06/alberta-2023-remembering-lcpl-alexander.html
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