51st Horowhenua Artillery Assn Luncheon

The Horowhenua Artillery Association held their annual El Alamein Dinner at Levin RSA on 25 May 2011. As always this event was on the Wednesday before Gunners Day, to enable participants to join other Gunners Day celebrations on the 26th. With veterans ranging in service from WW2 to Timor Leste, the dining total of 38 included 5 serving personnel from 16 Fd Regt.

This year’s address was a very moving personal account of one man's revisit to the scene of the Commonwealth Brigades’ actions at Imjin River and Kapyong in 1951. A mortar sig NCO at the time, Ted Maryan was eventually captured with the survivors of the Gloucesters and after the war, came to New Zealand as a signals instructor. Ted was lucky enough to be included in the official tour of the Korean War Commemoration in April 2011 in his capacity as a British K Force Veteran and his address began in that capacity. The text of his speech is linked here.