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| Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres |
In West Yorkshire, where we are based, many young men joined up to the new battalions which sprung up to go to war. These included the Bradford, Barnsley, Leeds, Hull Pals and the Grimsby Chums which went on to become part of the Yorkshire Regiment. Most, if not all of us at Ferno will have had a relative who would have played a part in the “Great War” as it became known.
Similarly, many of our Australian, Canadian and American colleagues’ families would have been touched in some way by the events in Flanders Fields. Australia and New Zealand sent thousands of Anzacs to France and Gallipoli and the Canadian Expeditionary Force fielded several combat formations, the largest of which was the Canadian Corps, consisting of four divisions. To mark the occasion, our Operations Director Alan Clark is touring the battlefields early next month when he will lay a wreath on behalf of the Ferno Group and pay our respects to all who fought and fell for King, country and comrades. Alan is an ex-military man – so this is a matter close to his heart. Here are Alan’s thoughts on the trip:
I will be visiting the First World War trenches, battlefields and memorials of France and Belgium during the first week of April. Having served for many years in the military and experienced active service myself, I have always had the greatest respect for those who served before me. I had planned that one day I would visit the battlefields to pay my own personal respects for the sacrifice they made. Paying my respects alone has grown over the years and along with my two good friends Peter Grant and Jimmy Quinn, the three of us decided to plan a week visiting the area and paying our own personal respects.
Like all good ideas, the more discussions you have with friends and colleagues, the greater potential there is for creating something special to remember. It was this opportunity that led me to think of laying a wreath on behalf of all the Ferno Group of companies and paying our respects collectively to all who fought and fell on these battlefields. With this year being the 100th Anniversary of the start of the First World War, there seemed no better time than to incorporate this into our planned vacation.
Flanders Fields was the scene of The Great War for four long years between 1914 and 1918 and during this period, 1,117,077 Commonwealth Service men and women were killed, wounded or went missing in action. Tens of thousands of people became refugees as entire cities and villages were destroyed. The landscape of this fascinating region still tells the story of The First World War with its many cemeteries and monuments at Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, Ypres, Flanders Fields and the Somme. All of the fallen and unknown soldiers are remembered on countless monuments, but none more touching than the Menin Gate, Ypres, where each evening, a last post ceremony is held to remember the fallen.
For the past ten years, I have researched my family tree and finally been able to identify my Great Uncle, Lance Corporal George Henry Cooke who was killed in action at Ypres on 3rd February 1915, during an assault on Hill 60. He served as part of 1st Battalion East Surrey Regiment and was only 19 at the time of his death. He was killed whilst fighting alongside the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company, who continued to mine the tunnel under Hill 60 before blowing it with 70,000lbs of high explosive.
Interestingly, the Australians sank a metal-lined shaft 130 metres under the German line and the shaft was coded Sydney, the drive leading to it Melbourne, while defensive galleries were called Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Newcastle and Hobart. These represent areas supported by our current Ferno Australia team headed by their MD, Scott West.
As I researched further into Great Uncle George’s regiment, I discovered that they also served with the Canadian Regiments at Vimy Ridge. These brave men fought alongside other Canadian and British Infantry Regiments against a massive German stronghold. One particular regiment, the 75th (Mississauga) Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force experienced huge casualties with more than 50 officers and 1,000 soldiers killed. The regiment was from Toronto and is Ferno Canada’s home regiment.
Having spoken with our Ferno Canada Managing Director, Bruce Whitaker, we thought it would be an honourable gesture to lay a separate wreath at the Vimy Ridge Memorial on behalf of the 75th (Mississauga) Battalion and from all those associated with Ferno Canada.
The 75th (Mississauga) Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force was formed on 1 July 1915 and was awarded sixteen battle honours for its service during WW I. As part of the 11th Brigade of the 4th Canadian Division, they saw action in the trenches at the Somme and fought with great distinction in the battles at Regina trench and Desire trench.
Researching our own West Yorkshire regiments involvement, I discovered they fielded an astonishing 13 Battalions throughout the war. One such battalion with close links to Huddersfield Town Football Club, was the 17th Service Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment, better known as the Football Battalion which formed from the Pals Battalion. Two former players and England Internationals, Lance Corporal Frederick Edwin Bullock and Sergeant Major John Gilbert ‘Jack’ Cock, served in this battalion with Jack Cock awarded the Military Medal for "Bravery in the Field" and a Mentioned in Despatches for "Gallantry". He was reported as 'missing, presumed dead' at one point but returned along with Frederick Bullock to continue playing for ‘The Town’ and for England. The Football Battalion suffered heavy losses during the Battle of the Somme with more than a thousand men, killed, wounded or missing.
So many allied regiments linked to Ferno group companies had fought alongside one another on the Western Front, including the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) which consisted of the United States Armed Forces. They fought bravely alongside French and British forces in major offensives during the last year of the war and sustained 320,000 casualties; 53,402 battle deaths, 63,114 non-combat deaths and 204,000 wounded or missing.
Given the massive multi-national force that was involved, I feel it would be poignant to lay a wreath on behalf of all the Ferno Group of companies (who have 18 operations globally) and to pay our respects for all those who fought and fell in the First World War. I will lay our Ferno wreath - incorporating our FW insignia set into a poppy - at the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, during the last post ceremony at sunset in remembrance of all who fought and fell in the Great War.
I will then lay a wreath at the Vimy Ridge Memorial, on behalf of Ferno Canada - incorporating the 75th Maple Leaf insignia - dedicated to those who served with the 75th (Mississauga) Battalion, then our own wreath on behalf of our families at Ypres. All the wreaths are poppy wreaths and are made by the Royal British Legion. Peter and Jim will be videoing the sunset ceremonies when I lay the wreaths and being ex-military, I will be in full regalia with medals for the occasion, so I hope to post plenty of photos and footage of the ceremonies on social media and on the blog.
When I spoke with our Managing Director, Jon Ellis, we both felt assured that there were many others within group that would like to pay their respects particularly as this is the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI. My honour is to lay these wreaths on behalf of all my colleagues and their families at Ferno.
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| 1st Australian Tunnelling Company |
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