Probus club remembers war and conflict

November was the month of Remembrance so it was fitting therefore that at a meeting of Bakewell and district Probus Club heard a talk about The Great War by member Brian Barry, pictured left. His father had fought in that conflict. At 18, Brian's father had enlisted in the London Rifle Brigade and two years later, in 1914 was sent to a sector of the Western Front in Flanders known by the British as '˜Plugstreet Wood'. Here he was injured in early 1915 and returned home to recuperate. '¨Later in the year he was promoted to Second Lieutenant after which he returned to fight in Flanders. After the war, he remained in the Territorial Army until 1927.

To put his father’s wartime experiences into context, Brian described several of the World War I battles including not only the Somme, but also the 1917 offensive at Bullecourt.

This was where Australian forces suffered devastating losses. In the midst of all this carnage going on, it is clear that Brian’s father was very fortunate to have survived the war.

For more information about the Bakewell and district Probus Club, visit: www.bakewellprobus.org.

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