大象传媒

THE BIG LOTTERY FUND
HEROES RETURN Ref No AVR/1/010146627

This is the story of the group of 5 no. persons who, with the
assistance of a Grant from the Heroes Return programme
Veterans Reunited visited a Battlefield area and the Reichswald English Cemetery in North West Germany during early April 2005.

Our group comprised the following persons:-

Raymond Griffiths (Organiser) 1st Bn Herefordshire Regt 1945/47
Emily Griffiths Spouse
Brian Poole Carer
Allan Edwards Veteran 2nd Fife & Forfar Regt 1944/47
Patricia Handley Carer Daughter of L/Cpl J Southall
( killed in action 2nd April 1945)

Our journey was planned to coincide with a meeting of German
ex soldiers known as 鈥淭he Friends of Bergen鈥� and to join them in a Rememberance Service on the site of the Battlefield known as The Teutoburger Wald and to tour the local area . Three of our group also planned to visit the graves of Patricia,s father and Brian,s brother in law who were killed in action on the 1st and 2nd April
1945 during the Teutoburger Wald conflict.

9AD The Romans.
The Teutoburger Wald in this area is steeped in the German history books which tell of the year 9AD during which the Roman Commander Publius Quintilious Varus, a relation of the Roman Emperor Augustus
was himself, with his three Legions, while sweeping across the eastern provinces of the German territories ambushed deep in the
Teutoburger forests by several Germanic tribes led by Arminius, a German chief of the Cherusci tribe. The vast column of soldiers, women children and servants were ambushed and killed among the swamps,
gloom and treacherous parts of the forest. The Romans suffered a defeat of such magnitude, which greatly disturbed the Emperor and which put a stop to the expansion in Europe of the Roman Empire.

Wednesday 13th April 2005
After a long but pleasant journey by air and by train we arrived at our Hotel at Ibbenburen from where, after a brief rest we travelled to the Hotel at Riesenbeck where we were welcomed by our German
hosts,and joined them for supper. After making arrangements for the following day our hosts returned us to our Hotel.

Thursday 14th April 2005
While being transported by our hosts to the Brumley Valley cemetery we had the opportunity to view the surrounding countryside which was dominated by ,to the North , the 300 feet high forest of oak,
beech and silver birch trees and to the South the wide expanse of the Dortmund/Ems canal.
It was in the area between the forest and the canal, after crossing the canal by firstly climbing over the demolished structure of the road bridge and then via the hastily erected 鈥淏ailey鈥� bridge (later
to be known as 鈥淭ommy Bridge) that the Infantry and Armoured Regiments of the British 11th Armoured Division assembled
on the open farmland.

During the first few days of April 45, fierce fighting took place within the forest and heavy casualties were suffered by both sides so heavy in fact that a TRUCE was arranged to enable both sides to attend to their wounded.

Within the forest, at a cemetery of German soldiers killed in the fighting, a service was held in which our group joined and
at which a message from the Associations of the British Regiments was read and a wreath laid on their behalf.
The service was filmed and photographed and members of our group were interviewed. It was arranged that on the following day Ray and Allan would be interviewed for a future. German film to be made about the fighting in this area which had been so poorly recorded previously, despite the many casualties, the Truce and the award of the Victoria Cross to Corporal Chapman of the 3rd Monmouthshire Regiment.

From this ceremony we were transported to a civilian cemetery at Stienbeck where a similar service was held in dedication to
German soldiers who fell in this area. A further wreath was laid and a message read. After lunch and a guided tour of the area we returned to our hosts hotel where we bade goodbye to The Friends of Bergen who had entertained us with great comradeship and friendship, something we shall never forget.

Before supper we found time to walk from our hotel back into the forest and to traverse the ridge path across the area known as Josephs Height where we knew it to be the path taken by the British infantry Regiments The 1st Bn The Herefordshire Reg鈥檛 and the 3rd Monmouthshire Reg鈥檛 over 60 years ago.

Friday 15th April 2005
Detlef Muckel and his assistant representing Newfilm Pictures filmed and
interviewed three of our group in the grounds of our hotel which was nerve wracking and interesting.
After these interviews our party split into two groups,Pat,Brian and Allan were being transported by our friend Dr Wolf Berlin
to the Reichswald English War Cemetery at Cleve some 150 miles away but before this he was taking them back to the Brumley Valley where Pat would be able to see the area where her father had died. She was able to travel the path through the trees to near the top of the ridge, by the side of which were the fox holes/slit trenches dug by the 3rd Monmouths during the 2nd April 1945. Pat laid a poppy cross here in memory of her father. This group then continued an adventurous journey to Cleve where wreaths were laid and photographs were taken for friends and relatives.

The second group comprising Emily and Ray, were asked by the filming crew if they would be filmed walking through the forest to which they agreed. After filming and walking for 30 minutes they said their
goodbyes leaving Emily and Ray to continue their walk towards where Ray remembered that together with his fellow soldier colleagues they had dug their slit trench at the edge of the forest on 1st April 1945.

Upon finding a bench seat near to a monument at the side of a path we rested , after a short while a group of German school children approached and were viewing the monument and upon hearing our English 鈥� Good morning鈥� turned and greeted us.
They were most interested in our story when we explained why we were in the forest and photographs were taken of us with their group. A steady walk in the peace and quiet of this lovely forest took us back to our hotel where we prepared for our next sojourn.

The next part of this groups (Emily & Ray) journey was to meet the archivist Wolfgang Berghoff of Leng erich who had previously
arranged to show us , together with his research collegue Joachim Eickhoff where the British soldiers killed in action in the April battle were first buried.

We were taken back to the area of the 鈥� Tommy Bridge 鈥渁t Birgte and to the site of the field where the Oase Pumpen factory and car park now stands and where in 1945 most of the British casualties were laid to rest. These were later in 1947 removed and interned in the Reichswald War Cemetery at Cleve. In 1998 while excavating for an extension to the factory car park a further seven unidentified remains were discovered these are also now at Cleve.

It was here that Pat and Brian were able to reflect upon the first resting place of their loved-ones.

It is understood that up to 1947 the graves of all these soldiers were cared for by the Sisters of Mercy from the 鈥淥ld Hospital鈥� at Riesenbeck which we later found had been demolished but in the adjacent garden a small chapel and wall had been erected as a memorial. This is a peaceful corner and a quiet place in which to reflect upon the tragedy of those fateful days in April 1945.
We all returned safely to our hotel and during supper we spoke of our respective journey鈥檚 and reflected on what had been a wonderful experience.

Saturday 16th April 2005
An early breakfast, a taxi to take Brian, Pat, and Ray to the 鈥淭ommy Bridge鈥� burial area and also to the 鈥淥ld Hospital鈥� site where photographs were taken for future reference. Back to the hotel to collect Allan and Emily then to the Station to start our return home.
To our surprise, while unloading our cases from the taxi, another taxi driver ran to us and asked if we had been at the Brumley
Valley service on Thursday, our surprised answer of 鈥淵es鈥� sent him to the local newsagents from whom he purchased the local
newspaper in which our visit had been reported. Fame at last !!!

A safe journey home, brought to an end a most memorable and satisfying experience, tinged at times with great sadness for the
lost loved ones.

Our thanks go out to the Lottery Fund Heroes Return without who鈥檚 support and finance this journey would not have been
possible.

The Teutoburger Wald Group
Ray Griffiths
Emily Griffiths
Brian Poole
Allan Edwards
Pat Handley

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