Taxi Charity Vice President, Dick Goodwin, will be attending the 75th anniversary of the Battle of June 1940 in Saint-Valéry-en-Caux this week (12 - 14 June 2015).
Saint-Valéry-en-Caux is the place where the British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, commanded by Major General Victor Fortune, and French troops surrendered to Erwin Rommel on 12 June 1940.
Taxi Charity veteran Jeffrey Bryden (Royal Army Service Corps) from Glasgow is also expected to attend with his daughter, even though he recently broke his leg. Dr Tom Renouf (5th Battalion Black Watch) was due to travel to Saint-Valéry but will now be attending the royal opening of The Last Of The Tide portrait exhibition at The Queen's Gallery. Although Tom was not at Saint-Valéry in June 1940, he runs the 51st Highland Division Veterans Association and works tirelessly to keep the memory alive of the men who were killed, captured or wounded at the Battle of June 1940.
The itinerary for the anniversary commemorations is as follows:
Friday 12 June 2015
14:30 Service at the military cemetary in Angiens Church
16:30 Service at Blosseville Farm and at the military cemetary in Manneville-es-Plains Church
18:30 Service at the Scottish monument in Saint-Valéry-en-Caux
Saturday 13 June 2015
9:30 Service at the monument in Ermenouville
11:00 Military service leaving from Veules-les-Roses town hall
15:00 Inauguration of the Captain Derek Lang trail and plaques for the British and French soldiers in Veules-les-Roses
Sunday 14 June 2015
9:30 Parade through Saint-Valéry-en-Caux
10:00 Service at Colonel Labouche monument, Saint-Valéry-en-Caux
10:30 Service at the military cemetary, Saint-Valéry-en-Caux