Minden Day commemorations to be held at Berwick Barracks
Residents and visitors are being invited to celebrate Minden Day at Berwick Barracks.
It was in the fields of Minden in Germany on 1st August, 1759 that the King’s Own Scottish Borderers (KOSB) gained immortal glory.
It was a turning point in the Seven Years War and the victory is commemorated by the Regiment to this day.
Legend suggests that the soldiers picked red roses from the gardens around Minden, either before or after the battle, and fixed them to their hats.
On this and every Minden Day, the people of the Regiment are presented with red roses. The Pipes and Drums can be heard playing as veterans march through the barracks and town.
This year’s event will be held on Saturday, August 1.
As veterans line up in front of the scaffold of the Barracks and think about the future museums, the name of the new KOSB mouse, created by illustrator Sara Rhys, will be announced.
As part of the regeneration of Berwick Barracks, English Heritage enlisted the help of local school groups to help think of a name for the mouse character which will form part of a children’s trail throughout the museum.
A new exhibition, Threads of Duty’, opens at The Storehouse at the Barracks on the same day. The exhibition explores handcrafted objects and embroidered fabrics made by soldiers in times of conflict, alongside new responses by KOSB members, created with artist Mani Kambo and Newcastle University. There’s also an opportunity to create your own response. It will run until August 27, is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am until 4pm and is free to enter, no booking required (under 12s must be accompanied by an adult).
Finally, The Maltings cinema will be showing archive footage of interviews with veterans from the WW2 Normandy beach landings, with a chance to buy refreshments in the foyer.