A memorial service to remember the heroic actions of Worcester soldiers will take place in a city park later this month.
The service marks 109 years since the Battle of Gheluvelt, which saw 187 soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Worcestershire Regiment killed or wounded.
On October 31, 1914, their counter attack saved Ypres from capture and the British Army from defeat - but their heroics came at a heavy price.
A commemoration service is being held at Gheluvelt Park, which was built in honour of those who lost their lives in the First World War and was named after the battle.
It takes place on Sunday, October 29 at 11.30am and will be led by Rev Colin Butler.
The service is being organised by the Worcester Branch of The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regimental Association, in partnership with Worcester City Council.
READ MORE: Worcester Mayor to unveil Belgian memorial for city's fallen soldiers
Earlier this year, a refurbished monument to the men of the 2nd Battalion the Worcestershire Regiment was unveiled in the Belgian village of Geluveld.
The memorial features the names of the 34 men killed at Gheluvelt and its unveiling, which took place in March, had been delayed because of Covid.
Worcester’s then-mayor Adrian Gregson attended the service alongside dignitaires of the Zonnebeke municipal area, Worcester ambassadors, representatives of The Mercian Regiment, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regimental Association, and descendants of the men who fought at Gheluvelt.
Nigel Fish, chair of the the Worcester Branch of The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regimental Association, said: “It stands to the perpetual credit of the regiment that, at the darkest hour of that great battle when others around them were in retreat, our war-worn officers and men went forward unflinching to meet unknown odds and, by their devotion, saved the day.
“The day’s fighting had cost the 2nd Battalion dearly. A third of the Battalion’s remaining strength, 187 all ranks, had been killed or wounded.
“Gheluvelt Park, Worcester came about in recognition of the importance and significance of this battle.”
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