Dear Armstrongs, This is an item I wrote for the magazine of 411 Mess of the Fellowship Of The Services. I used to write this monthly magazine myself when I had time for such things. Now I rarely get to visit my Messnights as they fall when I'm not at home or on other things. This time I was able to take a small part as a spectator. September 7th 2002. An annual ceremony took place that I heard of in June. An Italian restaurant owner had told me about it and I knew some of the story. In fact I know a man who was involved, he's a Standard Bearer in one of the Newcastle Messes. During the Invasion a squadron of British troops were approaching Willebroek in Belgium. A Belgian Lieutenant with local knowledge of the lie of the land went to tell a British tank unit that a German panzer regiment was in formation across the river Rupel from the town of Boom lying in wait. (Boom, pronounced bohm, it means tree) He also told them of a hair-raising way they could turn the German flank. There was a bridge the Germans had ignored because it was so feeble. The Pont De Fer (The Iron Bridge) was not built even for cars, let alone tanks. They decided to take the chance. The tanks shot over at high speed one at a time. Miraculously the old bridge held up long enough until enough tanks had crossed to put the willies up the Wermacht. Realising they'd been outmanoeuvred, the Germans wisely upped stakes and drove away. That daring scheme saved a lot of hard slogging over that stretch of water that lies so peaceful now in the hot sun. Back to September 7th. Off we went to Klein Willebroek and spent a good morning watching the veterans parading to the broken stub of the old Pont de Fer where the British tanks crossed to outflank the Germans under the guidance of Lt. Robert Vekemans in 1944. It is part of the Remembrance of Willebroek now. They marched from the church along Volks Straat (we saw the son of a friend there doing police traffic control), and then over the old Sas (sluice gate) to the Sherman tank which stands on its plinth by the remaining bridge buttress. A Guard of Honour from the Antwerpen Officer Cadet Academy stood there in smart order in No. 1 dress. The Remembrance ceremony was conducted there with the Burgemeester (yes, I know how the Germans spell it). A representative of the British veterans also made a speech and wreaths of flowers were laid in front of the tank. There were 14 Standards on parade. Most of them from the Folkestone area on the south coast of England and some Belgian ones for the troops who went back to their homeland with the Invasion. After that we came back to have a drink at the Italian café there and then to see the military vehicles drive off interspersed with police motorcycles. The military vehicles club put on a good show at their own expense. The column was nearly half a mile long. They even drove a Sherman tank past. The Europeans take a keen interest in the actions of the Allies in W.W.II., and it is gratifying to see them turn out to pay tribute to the lads who did not get home. It had a touch of humour mind you. One Dutch chap was resplendent in a kilt, Battledress blouse and Tam O' Shanter. The Tammy bore the badge of the Gordon Highlanders, (infantry), his epaulettes had a khaki ribbon bearing the letters RTR (Royal Tank Regiment) below that the top of his sleeves bore a shoulder flash of The Kings Royal Rifle Corps, again, infantry. The Dutch, Gordon, Rifleman, Tanky was unaware of the incongruity, but his heart was in the right place. Hope to attend myself next year now that I know about it, who knows, maybe lay a poppy for the 588 British Armstrongs killed in the Great War, and the 238 in W.W.II. If so I shall wear one's full canonicals, a touch of the tartan. Gan canny, Joe.