THE pretty Somme Valley in France where Wagga man Ian Mason will represent the 1st/19th Battalion Royal NSW Regiment during centenary commemorations of the infamous Battle of the Somme this month is starkly different to the killing field of 100 years ago.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
More than one million men were killed or wounded in the World War I battle between July 1 and November 18, 1916, including more than 22,000 Australians.
Warrant Officer (Second Class) Mason, the 1st/19th’s Company Sergeant Major in Wagga, will tread on the hallowed turf for commemorative services at Fromelles on July 19-20 and Pozieres on July 23.
He is one of nine members of the regiment who will carry and escort the regiment’s colours during the services.
“The colours are the heart and soul of any battalion,” WOII Mason said.
The 1st and 19th battalions of the 1st Australian Imperial Force both fought at the Somme.
They are now an Australian Army Reserves unit.
Before flying out to France on Tuesday, WOII Mason – who will be a colours escort – said he felt exhilarated by the thought of his involvement in the commemorative services.
“It’s hard to come to grips with to be quite honest because it is such an honour for me,” he said.
“It’s absolutely humbling.”
And he is not quite sure how he will feel during the services.
“We will be doing a job and emotions will have to be kept to a minimum, but it will be hard not to be thinking about what happened there 100 years ago”.
The service at Fromellles will also involve the re-burial of six Australian soldiers who died there and whose remains were identified earlier this year.
WOII Mason has been in the Reserves for five years and before then was in the regular army for 22 years.
Before taking part in the Fromelles and Pozieres services, the 1st/19th Battalion representatives will also be part of French celebrations for Bastille Day in Paris on July 14, marching along The Avenue des Champs-Élysées to the Arche de Triomphe.
“We have been told we will be the first foreigners to walk under the Arch de Triomphe with weapons since the Nazis,” WOII Mason said.