On Tuesday 22 July 2025, a major event took place in Bazentin-le-Petit, a small village in France, not far from Pozières. Both the memorials of Captain Houston Wallace and the Nine Brave Men were rededicated, after a complete restoration sponsored by the Cheshire Roll of Honour, The Western Front Association and several private sponsors. The Western Front Services Ltd did an excellent job by restoring the memorials to their former glory. The event was organised by Steve Benson of the Cheshire Roll, in close cooperation with Jean-Luc Fourdinier (mayor of Bazentin), Céline Jasiak (Somme Tourist Office) and Michèl Admiraal (European Field Officer WFA).
Captain Wallace was captain of the 10th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment, to be killed in action on 22 July 1916 during the attack on a German machine gun position. His body was never found and in 1924 a memorial was erected at the site where he probably was killed, financed by his aunt Beatrice Heap. The CWGC took care of maintenance until 1940, afterwards the site was abandoned.
The Nine Brave Men were eight sappers and one pioneer of the 82nd Field Company Royal Engineers. They died in July 1916, four weeks after the start of the Somme offensive. In October 1923, they were first remembered by Lieutenant Colonel Butterworth who wrote a letter to ‘Sapper’, the journal of the Royal Engineers. Already in 1917, placed a memorial to honour them. It was made of an engraved block of granite, combined with bricks from the ruins of Bazentin.
The rededication started with a ceremonial procession from the mayor’s office to the memorials. Despite the very English weather with showers of rain, the ceremony was attended by a long list of official representatives (including the Sous-Prefect of Peronne), delegates from the Worcestershire Regiment and a crowd of spectators. Steve Benson recalled the history of Captain Wallace, while Michèl Admiraal did the same for the Nine Brave Men. In total, about 30 wreaths were laid at the memorials, marking the fact that these brave soldiers are certainly not forgotten. After the ceremony, a reception was held at the mayor’s office. Really a great day to remember!
