Mr Newman said: “Twenty-one Worthing men died at Boar’s Head. Three brothers died that day, what a tragedy for one father.” He read the Wraiths of Morning poem, words spoken at the final reunion meeting of the Southdown Battalions Association on May 12, 1979. Andrew Byford, who was a Colour Sergeant in the Queen’s Regiment, read the exhortation and the words of the Kohima Epitaph.
The Battle of the Boar’s Head took place during the First World War at Richebourg-l’Avoué in France. It was planned on June 30, 1916, as a diversionary action to make the German Command believe this area of the Pas de Calais was the one chosen for the major offensive of the year. Soldiers from the Royal Sussex Regiment led the attack and the battle lasted less than five hours. The South Downs Brigade lost 17 officers and 349 men, the 13th Battalion being all but wiped out. More than 1,000 were wounded or taken prisoner.
After the service, Mr Newman said: “I would like to thank everyone for coming to remember the guys who died at Richebourg in 1916, the day before the Somme.”
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