Wartime Heritage Association's Glen Gaudet & George Egan Attend Buckingham Palace Event and Visit the Canadian Memorial in Green Park July 11, 2009 On Thursday July 9, 2009, The Chairman of the Association George Egan and Vice-Chairman Glen Gaudet attended the Garden Party celebrating the Centenary of Naval Aviation (Fly Navy 100) at Buckingham Palace. They arrived in London Wednesday, July 8, and stayed at the Hilton Metropole. That evening, they attended the theatre production of War Horse, on stage at the Royal National Theatre’s New London Theatre on Drury Lane in Covent Garden. War Horse, based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo, tells the story of young man named Albert and his beloved horse Joey that’s sold to the cavalry and shipped to France at the outbreak of the First World War. Soon, Joey is caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to the trenches to find him and bring him home. Actors, working with astonishing, life-sized puppets, lead the audience on an emotionally-charged journey through history. Then on July 9, for lunch prior to the Garden Party, Gaudet and Egan met with Veterans of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy; Telegraphist Air Gunners Ken Davies and Bill Jones along with their wives. Their dinner meeting was at the Union Jack Club. Davies serves as Honorary Secretary of the Telegraphist Air Gunners Association and Bill Jones is the current Chairman. The celebration was attended by the His Royal Highness the Duke of York, Commodore-in-Chief, Fleet Air Arm, His Royal Highness the Earl of Wessex, Commodore-in-Chief, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and The Princess Royal, Commodore-in-Chief, Portsmouth. The Queen's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard were on duty. The Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines (Portsmouth) and the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines (Plymouth) played selections of music during the afternoon. It was in fact the first Garden Party where alcohol was served. Champagne was served later in the afternoon. [Insert Green Park Memorial picture news9jul09-4.jpg] After Buckingham Palace, Gaudet and Egan visited the site of the Canadian Memorial in Green Park. Designed by Canadian sculptor Pierre Granche and unveiled by Her Majesty The Queen in 1994, the Canada Memorial pays tribute to the nearly one million Canadian men and women who served in the United Kingdom during the First and Second World Wars. In particular, it honours the more than 100,000 brave Canadians who paid the ultimate sacrifice for peace and freedom. The monument is located across from Buckingham Palace in Green Park, one of the Royal Parks of London, England. The monument is divided into two sections representing Canadian and British participation in the two World Wars. At the centre is a narrow walkway. It is made of red granite from the Canadian Shield with inset bronze maple leaves arranged in a windswept pattern. The polished granite is set at an incline and a shimmer of water flowing over it creates the impression of maple leaves floating down a stream. At the east end of the walkway is a circular bronze casting. Contained in the bronze casting is a compass rose that orients the sculpture toward Halifax, Nova Scotia, the port from which most Canadians left for active service. In the hollow area between the bronze casting and the monument is a set of stairs so that passers-by can sit and reflect. The monument reads: In two world wars one million Canadians came to Britain and joined the fight for freedom. From danger shared, our friendship prospers.