Estoi || Last Saturday 200 guests gathered in the grounds of the Estoi Palace to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of The Great War. Whilst most will be aware of the actions that took place in Belgian and France, the war was fought on many fronts. A hundred years ago to the day – October 4 1914 – the British and French fleets bombed Turkish forts in the Dardanellen.
Closer to home the grave of Able Seaman Percy Longthorpe rests in the British Cemetery at Huelva; he lost his life in December 1918 following an explosion on HMS Adventure that was undergoing repairs at the docks in Huelva.
The afternoon garden party was a fitting tribute to all those military and civilian casualties of World War I. There were over 16 million deaths and 20 million wounded, ranking it among the deadliest conflicts in human history. Over 7,000 Portuguese lost their lives at the Battle of La Lys in April 1918.
The Royal British Legion Garden Party commemorations were launched by the Tavira Pop Choir whose medley of Britain and American songs got the guests tapping their feet.
Clive Jewell, British Vice Consul, and members of the RBL Portugal Branch, read moving tributes to the fallen, including poems by Wilfred Owen and Rupert Brooke.
The Angels Theatre Group then performed a number of favourite sing-a-long songs, including Keep the Home Fires Burning, It’s a Long Way to Tipperary and Till the Boys Come Home. The Salvation Army Band from São Bras upped the tempo with a selection of marches and continued to entertain guests as they enjoyed afternoon refreshments served by the staff of the Pousada de Estoi.
The climax of the afternoon was the raising of the Standard of the Royal British Legion, followed by the sounding of the Last Post.
The event raised €1,670 for the Royal British Legion and a collection during the afternoon contributed almost €500 towards the work of the Salvation Army in São Brás.
