Memorial service marks battle's 110th anniversary

A memorial service will be held to mark the 110th anniversary of the Battle of Gheluvelt.

It will commemorate the achievements of men from the 2nd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment who saved Ypres, Belgium, from capture in 1914.

The service, which is open to the public, will be held at Gheluvelt Park, Worcester, on Sunday from 11:30 GMT.

Worcestershire Foresters Regimental Association chair Nigel Fish said that the battle was "an important part of history that the people of Worcester should be proud of".

"There's a high chance that relatives served in the regiment and the battle is a tie that bonds people together," Mr Fish said.

More than 300 men charged through open fields during the battle in the Belgian village of Gheluvelt on 31 October 1914 before the Germans retreated.

The Worcestershire Regiment was the last available reserve of the British defence and fought against the Germans alone, leaving 187 Worcestershire men wounded or dead.

Events to remember the battle have been held every year since 2010, with veterans and the high sheriff of Worcestershire attending.

This year the mayor of Zonnebeke, who represents the village of Gheluvelt, will also be visiting the memorial to mark the "special event", Nigel Fish said.

"If it wasn't for that battle charge, the outcome could have been very different," he added.

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