Minden Regiments celebrate 250th battle anniversary
4 August 2009
British Army units with the Minden Battle Honour sent representatives
to Germany this weekend to
mark the 250th anniversary of the battle which led to the end of the
Seven Years' War.
The three main bands, (from left) Garde Impériale de Dijon, Minden
Band of The Queen's Division and Deutsche
Nationalhymne (Heeresmusikkorps 12), that took part in the 250th anniversary
of the Battle of Minden
[Picture: Sergeant Simon Butcher, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
The British representatives met with their counterparts from Germany
and France at the site of the
battle on 1 August 2009, where as well as commemorating the battle they
also celebrated the three
nations' modern day friendship.
The historically important battle on 1 August 1759 took place outside
the town of Minden in north
western Germany and resulted in victory for an allied army of British,
Prussian and Hanoverian
troops against a superior French force.
In the battle 41,000 British and allied troops under Prince Ferdinand
of Brunswick lined up against
51,000 French and Saxon troops commanded by Marshal the Marquis de Contades.
The battle was to become an iconic victory for the 'Minden' Regiments
who advanced with white
roses in their hats, plucked from the hedgerows, and repelled the attacks
of the French cavalry.
Around the globe on 1 August, 'Minden Day' or 'The Battle of the Roses'
is still celebrated in style
and wherever they are in the world, whether on training or operational
service, units with the
Minden Battle Honour pause to commemorate 'Minden Day'.
To mark the noteworthy occasion of the 250th anniversary a whole series
of commemorations took
place and most British Army units with the Minden Battle Honour sent
delegations to the city to
mark this very special anniversary, themed as 'Forever Friends in Europe'.
Taking part in the numerous ceremonies were 1st Battalion The Princess
of Wales's Royal
Regiment, 5th Battalion The Rifles, 12 (Minden) Battery Royal Artillery,
32 (Minden) Battery
Royal Artillery, The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal
Regiment of Scotland, and 5th
Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, as well as the Royal British
Legion.
Entertaining the many visitors were the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas,
the Minden Band of the
Queen's Division, the Nottinghamshire Band (Volunteers) and The Rhine
Area Pipes and Drums,
who joined bands from other nations including the colourful Garde Impériale
de Dijon in authentic
Napoleonic regalia.
5th Battalion The Rifles marches across the Friendship Bridge as part
of the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Minden
[Picture: Sergeant Simon Butcher, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
The spectacular military programme included a Beating the Retreat and
Musical Tattoo, a wreathlaying
at the Minden Memorial, a ceremonial 'Festakt' of prayers and music,
a joint Royal
Engineers and Bundeswehr military bridging display across the River
Weser close to the battle site,
and a poignant rose petal drop over the city.
A total of 13,800 men died in the battle and for Lieutenant Colonel
Alex Wilson of the Queen's
Royal Hussars the event was especially poignant as his direct ancestor
Ensign Thomas Wilson was
one of those who fell in the battle.
Laying a wreath in memory of his ancestor, Lt Col Wilson said:
"It has been a great privilege to come to Minden on this special
day in my family's history.
Thomas's wife and children found him dying of his wounds after the battle
and my coming to
Minden has brought the tragedy home to me."
To mark the modern day friendship between the nations, the River Weser
was the scene of the
thrilling finale to the event and the building of a military Friendship
Bridge.
Staged by 412 Amphibious Troop Royal Engineers (Volunteers) and the
Bundeswehr's Heavy
Engineer Regiment 130, the slick bridging display saw giant M3 rigs
rapidly linked up to connect
the banks in just minutes.
Once constructed, Major General Mungo Melvin, General Officer Commanding
United Kingdom
Support Command in Germany, General Major Markus Kneip, Commander 1st
German
Panzerdivision, and M Bernard Chappedelaine, the French Ambassador's
representative, met in the
middle and greeted each other in the name of peace with a historic three-way
handshake.
Commenting on the ceremonies, Major General Melvin said:
"This is a very important milestone for both the British Army and
Minden, and the most significant
community engagement event to have taken place in Germany during my
three years in command.
The Stadt [local authority] has gone to enormous lengths to mark this
occasion in a fitting manner
and I salute their commitment to us.
Major General Mungo Melvin, General Officer Commanding United Kingdom
Support Command in Germany, General
Major Markus Kneip, Commander 1st German Panzerdivision, and M Bernard
Chappedelaine, the French
Ambassador's representative, share a three-way handshake in the name
of peace in the middle of the Friendship Bridge
[Picture: Sergeant Simon Butcher, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
"It is an honour for us to be at this Jubilee. The Battle of Minden
cost the lives of many soldiers,
British, German and French. However, soldiers of all three nations are
deployed today as NATO
comrades in Afghanistan. The results of battle may indeed shape world
history, but there is always
a heavy human price to pay in the defence of freedom."
Further events to mark the anniversary included a parachute drop by
the Joint Services Parachute
Centre, followed by a spectacular re-creation of the Battle of Minden
by several hundred reenactors
in authentic costumes.
In addition, Minden Day is also 'Yorkshire Day', and in honour of the
occasion, Yorkshire couple
Roger and Chris Sewell, former Forces teachers, planted a specially
grown rose bush at the Minden
Memorial, having walked all the way from Yorkshire to deliver it in
person.
The rose theme in the commemoration is taken further around the world
and, mysteriously, since
1967 six red roses have been anonymously delivered to the British Consulate
General in Chicago on
1 August every year. A note that comes with the roses lists the six
regiments and despite the efforts
of the consulate the identity of the donor remains a mystery.
Anglians' proud tradition honoured in Helmand
14 August 2007
Soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment currently
serving on operations in
southern Afghanistan have been paying tribute to their forbears in a
special ceremony to mark the
anniversary of the Battle of Minden – the Regiment's most famous
battle.
Captain Phil Moxey gives soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian
Regiment the traditional red and yellow
roses to mark the 248th Anniversary of the Battle of Minden
[Picture: Sgt Rumsey]
In honour of the battle, the soldiers, normally based in Surrey, sported
red and yellow roses in the
head-dress on the 1st August and wore the Battle Honour 'Minden' on
the Regimental Colour at
their Camp Bastion base in Helmand Province. The celebration, to mark
the 248th anniversary, was
particularly significant this year as the Battalion has engaged in some
of the most demanding
fighting and operations in its recent history.
12th Foot, later the Suffolk Regiment and now the 1st Battalion The
Royal Anglian Regiment,
formed part of a force which, with the Prussian Army, campaigned against
the French on the
continent during the Seven Years War. The Battle of Minden was the culminating
and only major
battle of the campaign in 1759. The 12th Foot was the senior of the
British battalions and was
therefore on the right of the line.
In the space of a few hours on 1st August, against all odds and following
a daring charge, the
British defeated the French troops. As the infantry passed through the
rose gardens on the morning
of the battle, the soldiers picked roses which they fastened to their
hats. In honour of this battle, the
1st Battalion continues the custom of wearing red and yellow roses in
the head-dress on the
anniversary of Minden Day.
"Celebrating Minden Day is a nice continuation of our Regimental
history, and we're
immensely proud of our military heritage. But this year it is a bit
special because what we are
doing here in Afghanistan against the Taliban, is what being an infantry
soldier is all about;
close quarter fighting with fixed bayonet."
Captain Phil Moxey, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment
Captain Phil Moxey, the Regiment's Operations Officer said: "Celebrating
Minden Day is a nice
continuation of our Regimental history, and we're immensely proud of
our military heritage. But
this year it is a bit special because what we are doing here in Afghanistan
against the Taliban, is
what being an infantry soldier is all about; close quarter fighting
with fixed bayonet."
Although current operations in Afghanistan and the 'Seven Years' war
in 1756 in Europe are very
different, many of today's soldiers from the Royal Anglian Regiment
serving in Afghanistan are a
similar age to those who fought so bravely in the Battle of Minden.
One of the young soldier's
currently serving with the Battalion is Private Michael Dexter, who
said:
"You definitely rely on your mates out here on the ground when
you are in the thick of it. It is a bit
scary but you're not on your own and the training kicks in very quickly."
Fusiliers celebrate St George's Day in Afghanistan
24 April 2009
Being deployed to Afghanistan has not stopped Fusiliers maintaining
their 40-year tradition of
wearing red and white roses behind their cap badge on St George's Day.
What about the 250 year old tradition of wearing red and yellow roses
to commemorate the
historically important and victorious Battle of Minden that saw the
end of the Seven Years War and
was achieved at huge cost to one of the antecedent regiments? This was
the celebration of a Battle
Honour, not a birthday.
Regimental Sergeant Major WO1 Paul Bland wears his rose
[Picture: British Army]
Troops from 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (2 RRF) have
just begun a six-month
deployment to Afghanistan, where they have taken over as the Battle
Group (North West) from 2nd
Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, and are responsible for the area
around the town of Musa Qaleh
in the north of Helmand province, which over the past few years has
seen considerable fighting.
The four regional Fusilier battalions amalgamated on St George's Day
in 1968 to form The Royal
Regiment of Fusiliers and, ever since, all ranks on St George's Day,
23 April, have worn red and
white roses behind their cap badge.
And yesterday was no different, so, before heading off on patrols, at
the Battle Group headquarters
in Musa Qaleh, and at smaller bases across the area where the battalion
is spread, the troops
celebrated St George's Day in traditional fashion.
The Fusiliers were woken by drums played by the Drum Major, Warrant
Officer Class 2 John Pugh,
and then received a shot of 'gunfire' - a drink of tea mixed with rum,
served by the officers.
Drum Major WO2 John Pugh wakes the troops in the morning
[Picture: British Army]
This year an improvised drum has been fashioned by the Regimental Sergeant
Major, Warrant
Officer Class 1 Paul Bland.
Following that, more than 100 Fusiliers took part in a church service,
all the while wearing their red
and white roses. Within hours the same Fusiliers were out patrolling
the area around Musa Qaleh.
Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Calder, Commanding Officer of 2 RRF, said:
"The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is immensely proud of its history.
That history continues as the
2nd Battalion enters into a demanding operational tour in Afghanistan
conscious of living up to the
impressive record of The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and its forbearer
regiments."
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers was formed on St George's Day 1968 with
the amalgamation of
the Northumberland (5th Foot) Fusiliers, Warwickshire (6th Foot) Fusiliers,
Royal (7th Foot)
Fusiliers and Lancashire (20th Foot) Fusiliers. The regiment maintains
its regional heritage by
continuing to recruit from these areas.
Left to right: Corporal David Finney, from Middleton, Manchester, Corporal
Bri Hayes, from Brentwood, Essex, and
Lance Corporal Dail Marston, from Nuneaton
[Picture: British Army]
St George's Day was also the Regimental Day of the Northumberland Fusiliers
whose cap badge
was St George and the dragon. This cap badge was adopted by The Royal
Regiment of Fusiliers on
amalgamation.
The origin of 'gunfire' is that a tot of rum was issued to troops on
the morning before battle
commenced, intended as a morale booster. This has developed over the
years as a tradition on the
Regimental Day, and for those working on Christmas Day, and is usually
served in a mug of tea and
brought by officers to the soldiers' lines shortly after first light.
Back in the UK, the day is normally one of celebration, with a formal
battalion parade in the
morning followed by sports in the afternoon and a party in the evening.
This is the third time 2 RRF has served in Afghanistan. Its previous
two tours were in 2006 and
2007.
