Our Story: by Steve J Lambert & Penny White
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We got involved with the Wreath of Respect through the Legion Riders with Tim and Lenny inviting us both to accompany the wreath on its first journey
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We live in Frome in Somerset but ride with the Gloucester and West Midlands Riders.
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Steve became a Legion rider 2008 after they closed Frome British Legion down where he spent a lot of time there as a child with his father who had served in WW2 in the Royal Engineers. He passed away in 1993. Steve has been a motorcyclist for over 45 yrs traveling most of Europe. Steve have 2 sons 2 daughters. My Son-in Law was injured in a bomb blast in Afghanistan where he lost the sight in one of his eyes. Penny and Steve have been together for 6 years, Penny started as a pillion but now rides independently. Her grandfather was injured 3 times in WW1. We are both marshals and initial response trained for the TT races, Penny is a trained nurse. There is not a lot we haven't done in the motorcycling world!
Wreath of Respect and what it means to us personally.
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I lost three great uncles in WW1, 2 in Ypres and 1 in the Somme, We have visited the memorials for all three – the two in Belgium have no known graves but are listed on memorials, one on the Menin Gate, one on the Ploegsteert Memorial. We have laid wreaths at the Menin Gate for them and the other 361 young men of Frome who lost their lives in WW1. As bodies of 2 of the brothers were never found, the unknown soldier could, possibly, be my uncle.
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Day 7 of the Wreath of Respect’s journey was special to Steve who arrived in Tidworth legion to be part of the wreath’s escort on its next leg. The team due to take it onward had broken down and so he was asked if he would carry it on to Royal Wootton Basset, He was humbled to do this as he had been there on a many more solemn times. Steve has attended 63 repatriations there, so it was very poignant.
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In this photo you can see Steve helping an old veteran hold The Wreath of Respect, as he wanted to but couldn't as he could not stand unaided so, as you see, we stood him up and made sure he had hold of it, It was a very moving moment. Then we were invited to join you to onto last stage which we did so we did the first stage and the last.
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Penny, although having been aware that her grandfather had fought in WW1, did not know much about his war journey but has since found out more and has seen the paintings he did when he was injured and recuperating. Some of his recuperation was in Albert, in the Somme where he did many of his paintings. When we visited there we were able to stand where he had been when he painted a picture of Albert cathedral – now the hospital car park. He survived the war and went on to win a gold medal in the 1936 Hitler Olympics before he died in 1940 of cancer felt to have been caused by his two gassings during the war.
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