Brandon Remembrance Day
We've found this lovely article, just in time for Remembrance Day. Written by Darren Norton and copied with his full permission.
Brandon cemetery is full of memorials, not just the headstones, but also home to two war memorials and over a dozen benches with commemorative plaques attached. The benches offer an opportunity to sit and reflect. One bench was installed near the war memorial some time ago and, until this recently, it was the only bench without a plaque on it. This new plaque is dedicated to the memory of John Snare and Bob Farthing. But do you know their story?
John Snare and Bob Farthing were schoolboy friends when the Second World War finished in 1945. In fact, it was fair to say, they were the best of mates. When the veil of peace fell over scarred European nations, other conflicts broke out around the world which themselves claimed the lives of more British lads. One such conflict was the Korean War which claimed the life of eighteen-year-old John.
It was November 1952, and John was serving in 'D' Company, Royal Fusiliers. They had been tasked with sneaking into a Chinese camp under cover of darkness and taking alive a couple of enemy soldiers for interrogation. The plan called for utmost secrecy - the lads would have to walk through a minefield, bushes, and a river and, if possible, there would be no firing of guns which would only alert the Chinese forces camped there. It didn't go well. Two Chinese soldiers stumbled across them, and one was quickly despatched, but the other escaped. If the gunfire had not alerted the enemy camp, then surely the escapee would. The forty fusiliers walked into the Chinese camp and felt the full force of the Chinese with machine guns and mortars. More Chinese swarmed upon them, wholly overwhelming the small party. Remnants of the Royal Fusiliers eventually returned to camp, with reports of the massacre. It was reported that John had been mortally wounded, but his body was not recovered. He was listed as "missing, presumed killed in action". Over the next days, the British forces returned to the battlefield to recover their dead, which coincided with the Chinese doing the same, and resulting in more fatalities. John's body was never recovered.
John Snare is remembered on the Commonwealth Memorial, at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery, in Busan, South Korea. It would be four decades before he was remembered on Brandon's war memorial. This lengthy delay was not through a lack of trying. Adding his name to the memorial seemed controversial. It seemed, despite being schooled in Brandon, because he was born in Santon Downham, town councillors felt he should be remembered in Santon Downham and not Brandon. All this despite some of the First World War names on the town's memorial never being born in the area, let alone Brandon. The council would not make an exception for poor John. Not all councillors agreed with the decision to ban John's name on the memorial. In 1994, Councillor Eric Ashley, a Korean War veteran himself, stormed out of a town council meeting in protest at the council's refusal to add just one more name to Brandon's war memorial. John died in 1952 and in June 1995, the council finally voted in favour (7-4) to add his name to Brandon's war memorial.
At the forefront of getting local recognition for John was his family and Bob Farthing. Bob corresponded with John's former comrades, the Royal Fusilier Regimental Association and the British Koreans Veterans Association to help arrange a memorial service in Santon Downham church. Bob was even sent a photo of John Snare's company as they prepared to set off for that fateful mission.
Bob's dedication to his boy hood best friend never died and lasted a lifetime. Anyone who attended a Remembrance Parade, over the years at Brandon, would have seen Bob standing opposite John's name to lay a wreath in honour of his friend. Every year he made a point of doing this. Even more than sixty years after his friend's death, it was obvious Bob was still emotional thinking about this friend. Sadly, that long tradition of remembering the bond between two best friends was broken a year ago when Bob passed away.
The location of this plaque is poignant. It overlooks John Snare's name on the war memorial and is not far from where Bob would stand every year for his act of remembrance. Thankfully, the members of today's Brandon Town Council acted more swiftly than those who procrastinated a few decades ago. Within two weeks of the plaque being proposed at the town council, it was installed. Well done all concerned. A lovely dedication to a lifelong friendship.
