Geordie charm might well have left my wife Sue feeling she would equally have enjoyed their company, but for the battery parade colours respectfully occupying the middle fifth passenger back seat. An hr Friday morning breakfast sailing to Dunkerque saw us well on our way for a midday pilgrimage to two northern war cemeteries, at the first of which Andy Loader paid his respects to his great uncle who had gone through almost all of the war as a gunner only to lose his life in the latter months of Perhaps inevitably the earlier scheduled start for a Saturday morning visit to a champagne house in Sacy was postponed until around hr, but this seemed no hardship to anyone.
By early afternoon we were all suitably relaxed sampling three of the five varieties of Champagne Wafflart Briet, hospitably served by Rachel, who had come out to Reims some years earlier as a University French language student and persuaded the son of the Tremblay family-owned vineyard to marry her.
It was whilst thus relaxing that our premier guest arrived, John Massey Stewart, accompanied by his daughter Julia and her husband Carl. It must have been a touching moment for John to be suddenly introduced to past and present 5th Battery soldiers, all of whom were proud bearers of the Croix de Guerre insignia which was awarded for the gallantry exhibited in the Bois des Buttes battle by his uncle personally on the 27th May along with Lt Large as well as by all his fellow officers, NCOs and men.
It was however at this latter fortress that one of the 5th Battery OPs was located and where, presumably Captain Massey met with the CO of 2 Devonshires, after the gun positions had been overrun. I and Cameron and John Massey Stewart and his family β now joined also by his son Hamon β had earlier i.
The book was about his time as a staff officer at 23 Brigade HQ in the Battle of the Aisne and tells his story as the three infantry battalions 2nd West Yorkshires, 2nd Middlesex and 2nd Devonshires and their artillery support which was 5th battery of course were overrun. Sunday morning was bright and sunny as it had been one hundred years earlier and at hr the ceremony commenced in front of the little Town Hall with its 5th Battery wall plaque and facing the Devons memorial across the road.
