85th Collection

Khaki Chums Christmas Truce Cross, St Yvon, Belgium
At Christmas 1914, over the 24th/25th December, a truce was held here between the 1st Battalion the Warwickshire Regiment and the 7th Bavarians in which Bruce Bairnsfaher took part

Menin Road South CWGC Cemetery
The cemetery was used by the 85ths Staffs, 9th East Surreys and Field Ambulances from January 1916 to 1918. It contains UK, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand

85th (Nova Scotia Highlanders), Can Inf Bn, Memorial Date: 2016

85th Field Company RE, Nottingham Bridge, Courseulles
The Memorial was put up in 1994 by Old comrades of 85th Fld Coy, RE. It has a handsome frame with badges in bas-relief. The 85th landed at Graye-sur-Mer in the early hours of D-Day 6 June 1944

British soldiers in trench near Bairakli Juma, Salonica, WW1
Three British soldiers of the 3rd Battalion Royal Fusiliers 85th Brigade manning a trench near Bairakli Juma, Salonica (Salonika, Thessaloniki, Greece) during the First World War. Date: May 1917

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Amidst the chaos and carnage of the Western Front during World War I, a brief moment of peace unfolded between British and German soldiers. At St. Yvon, Belgium, the 85th (Nova Scotia Highlanders) and the Canadian Infantry Battalion paused at the Khaki Chums Christmas Truce Cross, exchanging gifts and stories. Their shared humanity transcended the trenches, as evidenced by the Glengarry badges, a symbol of Scottish heritage worn on their caps. Meanwhile, in another theater of war, British soldiers from the 85th Field Company RE built a bridge at Courseulles, Normandy, in preparation for the D-Day invasion. Their military badges bore the pride and determination of the men who served. Sir Winston Churchill, a beacon of hope and resilience, once said, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." These soldiers, though worlds apart, embodied that spirit. At Menin Road South CWGC Cemetery, the final resting place for many who made the ultimate sacrifice, we honor their memories. The poppies bloom as a reminder of the sacrifices made during the Great War, and the enduring bond between soldiers, no matter the uniform or the battlefield.