Fallen Border Regiment soldiers remembered with limited edition poppy

It is a year of big moments in British military history as the country marks 75 years since the D-Day landings and the Battle of Arnhem, so it is unsurprising that people are eager to pay their respects to the sacrifices made by the military.

An engineering firm in Crosby-on-Eden is giving people a unique and long-lasting way to commemorate the Armed Forces.

Complete Engineering is producing 100 limited edition aluminium poppies, with all money raised going to the Royal British Legion.

The idea for the poppies came after Andrew Monkhouse, managing director of the firm, was approached by Dave Israel, one of his employees and an ex-serviceman, to create a tree surround for the sapling planted at St Cuthbert’s church on Saturday to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem.

It was designed by Dave, who served in the King’s Own Royal Border Regiment, to pay respects to the many border soldiers who lost their lives during this battle.

He said: “We wanted it to be special because lads from this county, from our city went out there.

“It’s a little unknown because most people think it was just the parachute regiment that landed at Arnhem.

“These boys went out there in no more than tin cans and canvas gliders, there was no switching on a motor and getting out of there when they were being shot out of the sky.”

The Battle of Arnhem was a major battle in the fight against Germany during World War Two, that took place across four Dutch towns for more than a week.

It was a devastating loss for British troops across the board, not just the Border regiment.

Sam Tait, an engineer at the firm, took Dave’s designs and produced a tree surround, a plaque, and the poppies for the St Cuthbert’s memorial.

“We machined half a dozen poppies out of aluminium, and I happened to put on Facebook saying ‘this is something that we are doing for the veterans’,” recalled Mr Monkhouse.

“So many people got in touch with me, I was totally overwhelmed by the response.”

They are incredibly in-demand - in fact, they are so in demand that the 100 poppies sold out in hours.

“I never intended for it to be something that I was advertising, it was just a comment made on something we were doing,” he added.

So much care and attention to detail has gone into producing each poppy, which is an exact replica of the poppy given out by the Royal British Legion.

Dave added: “The leaf is at 11 o’clock which is very significant.

“When you wear a poppy, you get your leaf to lie at 11 o’clock - the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - so that’s what he did.”

Dave was inundated with messages from ex-servicemen and women after he shared a photo of the poppies on Facebook.

“The messages came from all over the world,” he said.

The tree planting event brought the Armed Forces community together in recognition of the sacrifices made by the Border Regiment.

St Cuthbert’s Church reverend Keith Teasdale said: “It is wrong it should be treated as a defeat.

“It is thanks to that campaign and that battle that troops managed to get so far and sent the Nazis on the run.”

The lasting memorial is filled with historic significance - and not only from the plaque, which features a spitfire and the surround with the metal poppies.

The chestnut tree that was planted was a descendent of the tree in Arnhem that the Border Regiment tied a rope around to cross the River Rhine.

Major Andy Holsgrove, OC of A (Ladysmith) for the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, who are modern descendants of the Border Regiment, said: “It is important to commemorate the sacrifice and the enthusiasm of the troops that landed at Arnhem.

“It is important to know where we came from and the history of our battles.

“For people in rural areas in Cumbria particularly, the battle is quite familiar.”

“Hopefully mid-October we can have them all ready for everybody and get them dished out,” said Mr Monkhouse.

It is expected that £1,000 will be donated to the Royal British Legion poppy appeal.