Fort Seclin, France - Passchendaele Salute - 10 November 2017
BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE CENTENARY
The Passchendaele Salute 2017, under the patronage of Mrs Janice Charette, High Commissioner for Canada took place on 10 November 2017 at the Fort de Seclin, near Lille in France to hold a service of remembrance and fire 100 rounds to commemorate the centenary of the end of the Battle of Passchendaele. It consisted of at least 16 Great War guns drawn by horses: 9 x 18pdrs; 3 x 13pdrs; one 4.5 Howitzer, 2 French 75s and a 13pdr A/A gun on a Pierce Arrow 1917 lorry, and guns from a French museum. The guns will be manned by teams from UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium and France. The guns will be hitched by a team of six horses in turn to be positioned next to the flag of each of the allied countries at 10:00 am on November 10, 2017.
Then the service of the memory begins with drum major, the Epitaph of Kohima was read, followed by 10 shots under the command of the Master Gunner, Leslie Smith read the last text and then two minutes of silence was respected. Then 90 shots were fired and we waited for the smoke to dissipate in front of the cannons. After the ceasefire, a bagpipe band accompanied the guns playing "The Road to Passchendaele" and Alan Brydon, the composer, directed the song.
VIDEO
On the Road to Passchendaele
© Alan G Brydon/Major Gavin Stoddart MBE BEM
There’s a light that shines in Flanders
As a beacon for the brave
From the distant past it wanders
To recall the lives they gave
And it tells each generation
To be wise and never fail
On the road to Passchendaele
On the road to Passchendaele
On the road to Passchendaele
Where the brave will live forever
On the road to Passchendaele
Come with me and I will show you
Why all wars should ever cease
Take a walk among the gravestones
And your tears will cry for peace
For their spirits walk in Flanders
You can hear the grieving wail
For the brave who laid their lives down
On the road to Passchendaele
On the road to Passchendaele
On the road to Passchendaele
Where the brave will live forever
On the road to Passchendaele