The two peripatetic units from the Province of East Lancashire always leave the April meeting location in the hands of the current Supreme Ruler & President and this year Vincent Pouchain is proud to hold both offices at the same time. He suggested that with it being the anniversery of the D-Day landings in Normandy that it would nice to hold both meetings at Gold Beach, the beach that the British Allied troops landed on.

The idea was well received by the members of both units and the planning began taking around a year to fully get the meetings and location arranged and then on Saturday 27th April 2024 the dream became a reality when at 11am Ribble Valley opened their meeting under dispensation on French soil in Asnelles. A fantastic ceremony of the first grade followed which saw Comp. Derek Lambert admitted to the Order.

After a light buffet lunch it was the turn of Supera Moras Conclave where an excellent ceremony was carried out by Vincent and the Officers of the Conclave which saw Bro. Michel Lee Robert Solbreux inducted into the Order having travelled from Belgium. A number of Michel's friends who were also members of the OSM also travelled to France from Belgium to support him in his induction. It was also very pleasing that they all expressed an interest in joining Supera Moras "The Internet" Conclave as they enjoyed the friendly brotherly reception from all the members, they even suggested hosting next years meeting in Belgium.

Later that evening was a joint Festive Board for both Supera Moras & Ribble Valley was held in a local hotel where wives and partners and families were all invited.

On Sunday Morning the Brethren & Companions were treated to a guided tour of Gold Beach by the Deputy Mayor of Asnelles, providing them with a detailed history of the events of June 6th 1944.
Then at 11am all the brethren/companions assembled at the British war memorial in Asnelles where a wreath was laid in respect of those fallen that day in 1944.
A blessing and dedication by Wy.Bro. Reverend Derek Oliver followed for a tree planting ceremony, which saw R.Wy.Bro. Christian A. Givvons along with the Mayor of Asnelles plant an Acacia tree and affix a plaque to mark the occasion. ( The words spoken by Derek can be found on the 'news in brief' section on our home page).

Following lunch everyone was treated to a talk by M. René Pétrich on the production of Calvados, Cider & apple juice along with a tasting session and the opportunity to purchase.

Later that afternoon part of the party visited the Bayeux Tapestry whilst the others visited the D-Day Museum in Arromanches-les-Bains.

Monday morning a private visit had been arranged to the British Normandy Memorial, the memorial is near the village of Ver-sur-Mer. It was unveiled on June 6th 2021, the 77th anniversary of D-Day, and it is dedicated to soldiers who died under British command during the Normandy landings.
The Operations manager of the Memorial Sacha Marsac gave a very somber & thought provoking guided tour and explanation why the memorial was only opened in 2021. He also informed us that the up keep of the site is funded soley by donations. Further information on this can be found at www.britishnormandymemorial.org especially if anyone wishes to donate.

Then later that day, unlike a lot of those who arrived in Normandy on June 6th 1944 we headed home.

The trip was a huge success and the brethren/Companions are already discussing where the April 2025 meeting will be held, with Belgium being a top contender.

Pictured above are R.Wy.Bro. Christian A. Givvons the Provincial Supreme Ruler & Dist.Comp Paul A.Joynson the Deputy Provincial Grand Summus.
(lots more photographs of the weekend can be found in our galley).

Anyone interested in joining either of these two unit are more than welcome, please contact Christian Givvons who is the recorder of both at givvo@btinternet.com or maybe you may wish to join us on our April 2025 meeting which again you are more than welcome to do so.

"Lest we Forget"