From Anne Barnes.
THE JEP’s 1918 commemorative supplement was a fine tribute to Islanders who fought in the Great War.
I would like to pay tribute to all the UK service personnel, those that did not come back and those who did, brave soldiers, one and all. My uncle was one of the men who never came back from the Somme.
He was a young officer, just 20 years old, and his body was never found. My father commanded 48 Squadron in France, and at the end of hostilities he is quoted as saying: ‘In ten months, the squadron collected one VC, seven DSOs and 30 MCs. Needless to say, our casualties were terrible.’
My father won one of the MCs awarded for bravery, and I still treasure the certificate he received early in the war for gallant and distinguished services in the field.
It must be difficult for this generation to imagine what it was like to fight such a war, but I am sure that those brave lads from Victoria College who took part in the re-enactment will know and remember.
Les Heures Claire,
Park Estate,
St Brelade.
