WATCH: Commemoration service to mark Guyzance tragedy

A poignant service of commemoration was held yesterday to mark the anniversary of the Guyzance tragedy.
A sizeable crowd gathered at the commemoration service for the Guyzance tragedy. Picture by Jane ColtmanA sizeable crowd gathered at the commemoration service for the Guyzance tragedy. Picture by Jane Coltman
A sizeable crowd gathered at the commemoration service for the Guyzance tragedy. Picture by Jane Coltman

The remembrance ceremony was staged by the Durham Light Infantry Association at the Guyzance memorial.

The tragedy happened on January 17, 1945, on the River Coquet, near to the-then Army Training Camp in Felton.

A sizeable crowd gathered at the commemoration service for the Guyzance tragedy. Picture by Jane ColtmanA sizeable crowd gathered at the commemoration service for the Guyzance tragedy. Picture by Jane Coltman
A sizeable crowd gathered at the commemoration service for the Guyzance tragedy. Picture by Jane Coltman
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Two Duke of Wellington’s Regiment trainees, along with eight Durham Light Infantry trainees, who were taking part in a river-crossing exercise, were swept in their boat over Guyzance Weir as a result of strong currents and floods. Weighted down by their equipment, not one of these 18-year-old soldiers survived.