On the 25th April, the Royal British Legion Provence-Monaco branch organised the annual ANZAC day in Antibes.
A dawn service, conducted by the Reverend Jeremy Auld of Holy Trinity Anglican Church Nice, started the day’s commemorations with an impressive turnout of branch members, local residents and several Australian and New Zealander crew currently moored in Antibes port. It was a moving event, with the sounding of the Last Post, Reveille and Piper’s lament echoing through the port and nearby Fort Carré.
Mr Timothy Morley paraded the branch standard, with Harold Bearn (Royal Navy) taking duties for the lowering of the Union Flag.
The morning service afterwords included a considerable French presence, with the local mayor and veterans associations laying wreaths alongside branch president Elaine Dempster and representatives of each of the ANZAC countries and communities.
A special thanks must be given to Cdr (Rtd) Simon Jackson (Royal Navy) for organising the ceremony and acting as liaison between the branch and local authorities for the two services.
