Veterans gathering celebrated at Exbury Petal Fall Weekend

Members of the Exbury Veterans Association held their annual service at the Anchor Memorial at Exbury on Sat 4 June. The weekend closest to D-Day is always marked by the association, who lay a wreath at the Arromanches Memorial at the south-western tip of the Gardens, overlooking the Beaulieu River. Veterans from the war and post war years when Exbury House was requisitioned by the Admiralty as Stone Frigate HMS Mastodon, HMS Kind Alfred and HMS Hawke, enjoyed meeting current Navy staff and also seeing the collage put together by children visiting the Gardens as part of Petal Fall Weekend. Overseen by the local National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies (NAFAS), this year’s petal theme reflected the important role played by the Wrens at Exbury, with the Wrens cap badge forming the collage centre piece. Marion Loveland, former Wren and Secretary of the Veterans Association, was presented with a bouquet of flowers by Exbury President Nicholas de Rothschild at a lunch in Mr Eddy’s Restaurant. All 60 present then joined in a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday to wish Marion well on her birthday on Monday 6 June.

Pictured with the Wren collage:

L/R: Carol Fletcher and Mary Defty from NAFAS
Front: William Philpott, aged 6, with flower from NAFAS Workshop