THE YPRES TIMES
186
COLCHESTER BRANCH
Thursday, February 7th marked the oc
casion of the Third Annual re-union dinner of
the Colchester District Branch of the Ypres
League held at the Red Lion Hotel.
The date unfortunately co-incided with
another important local celebration, neverthe
less a very representative gathering of some 70
Great War veterans assembled under the
presidency of Lieut-Colonel H. W. Herring,
M.C. (Chairman of the Branch) and enjoyed an
extremely pleasant evening.
The chief guest of honour was the Chairman
of the Ypres League, Lieut.-General Sir W.P.
Pulteney, G.C.V.O., K.C.B., K.C.M.G., D.S.O.,
and amongst those present were Brigadier
H.N.A. Hunter, D.S.O., (Commanding the 11th
Infantry Brigade at Colchester), Brig. General
qualification because those who served over
seas were equally welcomed as members.
A rousing reception was accorded to Lieut.-
General Sir William Pulteney when he rose to
reply. The General heartily congratulated
the Branch on its growth, remarking that to
have started so many years after the war and
to achieve such success was a wonderful perfor
mance and showed that those who have joined
the Branch had the real spirit of comradeship.
The speaker said that the Ypres League had
assisted that comradeship, not only among its
members, but also among all who served in the
war including the ex-service men who were
employed in the Ypres Salient at the present
time, and the organisation of pilgrimages to
the Salient for poor relatives to see the graves of
those they loved had done a great deal of good
m
3rd Annual Re-union Dinner of the Colchester Branch.
F.W. Towsey, C.M.G., C.B.E., D.S.O. (war
time Commander of the Colchester Garrison)
Major G. C. Benham, M.C., Captain C. J. Round,
D L, Dr T.M. Fripp., Mr. Alec B. Blaxhill.,
Revd. S. L. Dolph and Revd. F.R.P. Carrick.
Through the kind permission of the Officer
Commanding, the band of the 5th Inniskilling
Dragoon Guards was present and rendered
selections during the dinner.
After honouring the loyal toast, the esteemed
Chairman proposed the Ypres League and
in course of his remarks, Colonel Herring
stated that the League stood for three tilings,
namely comradeship, faith, and love of our
country, for he did not think anyone in the
front line of the Ypres Salient ever thought
that we were going to lose the war. It was
their faith, probably more than anything else
which pulled them through and he considered
that faith was based on love of their country.
In conclusion, the Chairman informed the
gathering that the strength of the Branch was 43
country members and a similar number of town
members. All present were urged to assist in
recruiting further members for the Branch,
adding that service at Ypres was not an essential
and brought extraordinary expressions of grati
tude. Sir William Pulteney then spoke briefly
on the British School at Ypres which had been
built for the children of the employees of the
Imperial War Graves Commission and that there
were now 120 children in attendance. All these
children had previously been receiving their
education in Belgian schools. They could hardly
speak a word of English and in consequence
were rapidly becoming lost to their own country.
The appreciation of the parents well recom
pensed the promotors in the work they had
accomplished in respect of the school.
The Visitorswas proposed by Major
Benham who observed that the presence of so
distinguished a soldier as Lieut.-General Sir
William Pulteney was the greatest honour and
reward that could be extended to the Branch
for the effort made to establish the Ypres
League in Colchester. The Branch was for
tunate in possessing a very keen Chairman
in Colonel Herring and a splendid Secretary
in Mr. Snow. After referring to the great
deeds and sacrifices of the Salient, Major
Benham emphasised very strongly that the
Ypres League did not, as some people seemed
