HISTORICAL ties between Hatfield and a
town in Belgium continue to blossom with school children coming to the UK to
mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
Commemorative Royal mugs and fish and
chips will be just a few of the treats in line for pupils from the town of
Merksplas when they visit in June.
It is the heroic actions of John Harper
– the only Doncaster-born recipient of the Victoria Cross – which
inspired the links between the two towns, which have been officially twinned since
2009.
The 33-year-old corporal, a member of
the York and Lancaster Regiment, died on September 29, 1944, when a platoon
under his command battled to seize the Depot de Mendicitie, near Antwerp, from
enemy hands.
He charged through a hail of grenades and
gunfire shooting several German soldiers and taking others prisoner as he
seized their dugouts but was killed as he returned to his platoon.
Twinning committee member Gordon Harper,
whose father was John’s cousin, can’t wait to welcome his Flemish
counterparts and help develop further cultural relations.
He said: “It was very emotional to
go and stand on the spot where he was killed and see where he did what he did.
It was quite a tearful experience.
“When I have been on visits there,
I’ve had young children running up to me who know all about John Harper
and what he did. They take it very seriously and it’s really important to
them.”
The Hatfield committee is in the process
of applying for EU funding to help cover the costs of activities planned
between June 29 and July 1.
Mr Harper added: “While
they’re here, they’ll visit schools in the area, take part in
outdoor activities and also a Party in the Park at Ash Hill Academy on the
Saturday night.
“We’re calling the event a
Celebration of Youth. John Harper is the catalyst but now it’s about a
wider cultural exchange.”
A group of pupils from the Ash Hill
Academy will also be heading out to Merksplas for a visit in March, taking in a
visit to John Harper’s grave and memorial.
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