Tensor has made a donation to The Passchendaele Salute 2017, under the patronage of Mrs Janice Charette, High Commissioner for Canada. It will take place on 10th November 2017 at the Fort de Seclin, near Lille in France. There will be a service of remembrance and a salute of 100 rounds from 1st World War field guns to commemorate the centenary of the end of the Battle of Passchendaele.
Passchendaele Salute 2017 – Battle of Passchendaele Centenary
The artillery will comprise at least 16 Great War guns drawn by horses:
9 x 18pdrs; 3 x 13pdrs; one 4.5 Howitzer, 2 French 75s and a 13pdr A/A gun on a Pierce Arrow 1917 lorry, and guns from a French museum. The guns will be manned by teams from UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium and France.
Nigel Smith, chairman of Tensor plc, has volunteered to be a member of the UK’s 4 man team. He has undertaken training with John Slough and company in Hereford and now, with the other 3 volunteers is “ready for action”.
The beneficiary charity of The Passchendaele Salute 2017 is Combat Stress. Commenting on Tensor’s donation, Nigel Smith said “Tensor is proud to support Combat Stress and to honour the brave men who fought and those who died at the battle of Passchendaele. It’s important for current generations, especially the young, to remember and understand the sacrifices that our forefathers made so that we could be here today. It would be good if more schools managed trips to the First World War battle fields, which in today’s terms are only just a few hours away”
