Michel Hofman

NATO flag.svg
Flagge der Organizazione/ North Atlantic Starts Treaty..Falko1 Organization (NATO).

Flag of NATO.svg
Flagge der Organizazione/ North Atlantic Starts Treaty..Falko1 Organization (NATO).

BEL Kroonorde Grootofficier BAR.svg
Ribbon bar: Order of the Crown – Grand Officer (Belgium).
(Ordre de la Couronne – Grand-Officier).
(De Kroonorde – Grootofficier).

Ordre de Léopold O ribbon.svg
Autor/Urheber: Reliavech, Lizenz: CC BY-SA 4.0
Order of Leopold ribbon bar, Officer rank.

Wreath laying at the 2022 Belgian Military Parade in London (Hofman cropped).jpg
Autor/Urheber: British Army, Lizenz: OGL 3
Lieutenant General Ian Cave and his Belgian counterpart lay a wreath at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London.Each July, on the Saturday preceding Belgian National Day, a Belgian Parade takes place in London at the Cenotaph on Whitehall to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms from both sides of the Channel. It is a strong symbol of the fraternity that existed between the British and Belgian soldiers during and after both world wars, and confirms the close ties that continue to unite both countries today.The annual tradition dates back to 1934 when King Albert I of the Belgians, who was also Colonel-in-Chief of the‘5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards’, died in a climbing accident.Touched by the death of his cousin and, in recognition of the heroism and sacrifice of the Belgian Army in the First World War, King George V decided to bestow a special honour on the Belgians. It was an honour that had never been awarded to any other non-Commonwealth nation, and remains unique. It is the gift of a yearly Belgian Act of Remembrance at the Cenotaph and a parade through Westminster.Belgium remains the only non-Commonwealth nation that is allowed to parade its troops in uniform, bearing arms, in central London.This year, the unique ceremony saw 250 Belgian veterans and soldiers parade in full ceremony alongside 100 British soldiers which included members of F Company Scots Guards, veterans and cadets.With stirring musical accompaniment from the Band of the Irish Guards, including tunes normally heard in November at the UK’s National Act of Remembrance at the Cenotaph such as Elgar’s Nimrod, the remembrance service was attended by His Excellency the Belgian Ambassador to London, members of the Belgian Government, and the Chief of Defence Belgium.Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin who attended this year’s parade representing the UK Government said: "As we commemorate the heroism of Belgian personnel during the First World War, we're reminded of the joint sacrifice our Armed Forces made for the liberties we enjoy today. The legacy of those who fell in battle is the strong and enduring alliance between our two nations."The UK and Belgium are essential allies and close neighbours. Several British Army units such as the Grenadier Guards and the Household Cavalry Life Guards were raised in Belgium. We have enjoyed centuries of mutually beneficial trade agreements, with Belgium still the UK's sixth-largest export market.The Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (NATO’s operational HQ) which employs large numbers of British Armed Force personnel is in Belgium and most recently, alongside the UK and our NATO partners, Belgium has been helping to bolster enhanced Forward Presence on Europe’s Eastern border.In April this year the Belgian air force provided air support to UK forces on Exercise Furious Wolf in Estonia as our forces practised air land integration.As the sun beat relentlessly down on Whitehall and the eleventh hour was struck by Big Ben, the silence was marked. Wreaths made from fresh summer flowers, that were imported from Belgium just for this occasion, were laid with due ceremony at the Cenotaph, and national anthems were performed: God Save The Queen for the UK and The Brabançonne for Belgium.The solemn Service of Remembrance was followed by a military parade down Whitehall and onto Horse Guards Parade. It was led by the Band of the Irish Guards who played Belgian Military music such as Te Velde (Aux Champs).Another wreath laying ceremony was held at the Guards Memorial in recognition of the sacrifice of British Soldiers, in particular the Guards Division whose Foot Guards and Cavalry took terrible casualties in Flanders Fields in the First World War, and who was at the Vanguard of liberating Belgium from Nazi occupation in September 1944.Finally, the troops marched to the Flanders Fields Memorial Garden beside the Guards Chapel on Birdcage Walk.There a lone cornet player from the band of the Irish Guards played the Last Post and more wreaths were laid. The participants then enjoyed a reception given by the Belgian Ministry for Defence at Wellington Barracks.The Garden is a gift from the Belgian people to the UK for their support in the First World War.It contains sacred soil taken from every battlefield and FWW memorial site in Flanders and poignantly symbolises a tangible return home of all those soldiers lost on the Front particularly those who have no known grave. It was created and opened to mark the start of the FWW Centenary commemorations in 2014.