Borgaard Mindesmærket, Holbæk, Jylland, Danmark, indviet 1948.
(The Borgard Memorial, Holbaek, Jutland, Denmark, erected 1948)
Forfattet af Oberst T. H. Sebag-Montefiore:
(By Colonel T. H. Sebag-Montefiore)
Kort
efter 2. verdenskrig nedsatte Hr. Flemming Juncker - der selv havde været meget aktiv i modstandsbevægelsen under krigen - en komite, der skulle overveje mulighederne for at rejse et mindesmærke for General Albert Borgaard på hans fødested,
landsbyen Holbæk i Jylland (Djursland), Danmark.
(A short time after the war M.r Flemming Juncker - who had been very active in the Resistance Movement during the war - a committee to consider
the possibilities of erecting a monument for General Albert Borgaard at his birthplace Holbaek in Jutland, Denmark)
Flemming Juncker boede ikke langt fra Holbæk (på Overgaard
øst for Hadsten). Den berømte artilleri-officer Borgaard (i England kaldet Borgard) havde indtil da på det nærmeste været ukendt for danskerne, og i lyset af det overordentligt hjertelige forhold mellem vore to lande under krigen,
og den hæder denne danske officer havde høstet i England, blev forslaget vedtaget med akklamation. The Royal Regiment of Artillery blev kontaktet med henblik på at deltage i projektet, og herfra blev det besluttet at donere et beløb
fra the R. A. War Memorial Fund.
(Flemming Juncker lived not far from Holbaek (Overgaard, east of Hadsten). The famous artillery officer Borgard - as he was called in England - until then had been
almost unknown to the Danes, and in the light of the extremely cordial relation between our two countries during the war, and the honours this Danish officer had received in England, the proposl was received with acclamation. The Royal Regiment of Artillery
was contacted regarding participation in the projact, and from there it was decided to donate an amount from the R. A. War Memorial Fund.)
Mindesmærket er en buste af generalen
udformet efter det berømte maleri i Woolwich Mess, monteret på en smuk granitsokkel med inskription på dansk på den ene side og engelsk på den anden.
(The memorial
is a bust of the general after the famous painting in Woolwich Mess, mounted on a beautiful granite plinth with inscription in Danish on one side, and in English on the other.)
Busten
er udført af Baron Arild Rosenkrantz, en velkendt dansk maler og billedhugger. Det er interessant at bemærke, at Erik Rosenkrantz - en af billedhuggerens forfædre - var dansk gesandt i England i det 16. århundrede. Shakespeare må
have hørt om ham, da han navngav hofmændene i "Hamlet".
(The bust is executed by Baron Arild Rosenkrantz, a well known Danish painter and sculptor. It is interesting to notice that
Erik Rosenkrantz - one of the ancestors of the sculptor - was Danish envoy in England in the 16th century .Shakespeare must have heard of him when he named the courtiers in "Hamlet".)
Inskriptionen
lyder således
(The inscription goes like this:)
"Rejst af landsmænd og Det kgl. Britiske Artilleri Regiment
i 1948 efter Danmarks befrielse til minde om en dansk soldat, som grundlagde Det kgl. Britiske Artilleri og deltog i 18 slag og 24 belejringer."
("Erected by fellow countrymen and the
British Royal Regiment of Artillery in 1948 after the liberation of Denmark. In memory of a Danish soldier who founded the British Regiment of Artillery, and who took part in 18 battles and 24 sieges.")
Afsløringen af monumentet fandt sted søndag den 11. juli 1948. General Sir Robert Haining, Generalløjtnant Sir Otto Lund og Oberst T. H. Sebag-Montefiore deltog som det danske artilleris gæster. Ceremonien
fandt sted i den lille landsby Holbæk i Nordjylland under overværelse af en stor folkeskare. Blandt deltagerne var den britiske ambassadør i København Mr. Randall med hustru, Militærattache Oberstløjtnant J. A. Mallard,
General Knudtzon, fungerende General for den danske hær, Generalmajor Callisen, Inspector-General of Artillery, the G. O. C. Jutland Infantry Division, chef of officerer fra de 3 Field Artillery Regimenter i Århus, Hr. Flemming Juncker og andre
fremtrædende personer.
(The unveiling of the monument took place on Sunday 11. of June 1948. General Sir Robert Haining, Lieutenant General Sir Otto Lund and Colonel T. H. Sebag-Montefiore
participated as guests of the Royal Regiment of Artillery.
The ceremony took place at the small village (or hamlet) of Holbaek in Northern Jutland in the presence of a large crowd. Among the participants
were the British Ambassador in Copenhagen Mr. Randall with his wife. Military Attache Lieutenant Colonel J. A. Mallard, General Knudtzon, acting General of the Danish Army, Major General Callisen, Inspector-General of Artillery, the G. O. C. Jutland Infantry
Division, chief and officers from the 3 Field Artillery Regiments at Aarhus, Mr. Flemming Juncker and other distinguished persons.)
En æresgarde og en saluteringsenhed fra de
3 Field Artillery Regimenter i Århus deltog. Da de britiske officerer ankom, blev de hilst af trompetfanfare, og General Haining inspicerede æresgarden. Derefter tog Hr. Flemming Juncker ordet, først på engelsk og derefter på
dansk; General Haining repricerede på engelsk, der blev oversat af hr. Juncker. Æresgarden præsenterede gevær, General Haining afslørede monumentet; der blev affyret en salut på 12 skud, hvorefter æresgarden affyrede
3 "feu de joies" (formodentlig en salut, hvor hver enkelt soldat i saluteringsenheden affyrede sine skud vilkårligt. Lydindtrykket kan sammenlignes med en "lynkineser"O.a.) Derefter blev der lagt kranse ved mindesmærket. Derefter overtog formanden
for det lokale sogneråd Knud Friis Nyegaard i en kort tale ansvaret for monumentet på vegne af sognet, idet han lovede i tiden fremover at ville holde monumentet i god stand.
(A Guard
of Honour and a salute unit from the 3 Field Artillery Regiments at Aarhus participated. As the British officers arrived they were saluted with a trumpet fanfare, and General Haiting inspected the Guard of Honour. Then Mr. Flemming Juncker spoke, first in
English and then in Danish. General Haining replied in English, and was translated by Mr. Juncker. The Guard of Honour presented arms, General Haining unveiled the monument, and a salute of 12 shots was fired, after which the Guard of Honour fired 3 "feu de
joies". After that wreaths were laid at the memorial. Then the head of the local parish council Knud Friis Nyegaard in a brief speech accepted the responsibility for the monument on behalf of the parish, promising in the future to keep the monument in good
condition.)
Ceremonien sluttede med, at General Knudtzon takkede komiteen på vegne af Det danske Artilleri, idet han sagde, at der her var tale om et passende mindesmærke
for en brav danske soldat og en fremragende engelsk general.
(The ceremony ended by General Knudtzon thanking the committee on behalf of the Danish Artillery, saying that this was a suitable monument
for a brave Danish officer and a prominent British general.)
Denne beskrivelse af ceremonien ville ikke være fuldendt uden en omtale og anerkendelse af modtagelsen, der blev repræsentanterne
fra the Royal British Regiment til del. Regimentet mødtes med Hr. Juncker i Esbjerg. Han var kommet i militært køretøj, og han kørte os alle 140 miles til sin ejendom, hvor vi blev meget gæstfrit underholdt i hovedbygningen
fra 16. århundrede. (Junckers ejendom var Overgaard, der ligger 15 km. øst for Hadsund og 32 km. fra Holbæk over Voer-Mellerup færgen.O.a.)
(This description of the monument
would not be sufficient without an account of the reception of the Royal British Regiment. It was met by Mr. Juncker at Esbjerg. He had arrived in a military vehicle, and he drove us all the 140 miles to his property where we were very hospitably entertained
at the 16th century estate. (Juncker's estate was Overgaard, situated 10 miles east of Hadsund and 20 miles from Holbaek by the Voer-Mellerup ferry)
Afsløringen fandt sted næste
dag, der var en søndag, og de mange militære og civile gæster blev inviteret til frokost i et stort hus i nærheden (muligvis Holbækgaard, der ejedes af Flemming Junckers søster Elizabeth Juncker og kun ligger 1,5 km. fra
Holbæk.O.a.) Om aftenen sejlede de 3 Field Artillery Regiments stationeret i Århus til København med natbåden.
(The unveiling took place on the following day, a sunday,
and the many military and civilian guests were invited to luch at a large house in the vicinity (possibly Holbaekgaard owned by Flemming Juncker's sister Elizabeth Juncker, only a mile from Hollbaek) In the evening the 3 Field Artillery Regiments stationed
at Aarhus sailed to Copenhagen with the night boat.)
Dagen efter besøget besøgte man Artilleriskolen i Holbæk på Sjælland, spiste frokost i messen,
og om aftenen var der middag med fungerende chef for Hæren i Bellevue tæt på København. Torsdag var sat af til sightseeing, bl. a. med besøg på Kronborg Slot i Helsingør, og der var indbudt til middag om aftenen
af Militær Attache Oberstløjtnant J. H. Mallard, Danmark og Den danske Hær.
(The following day they visited the School of Artillery at Holbaek in Zealand (notice the name of the
Zealand town, the same as the hamlet in Jutland), had lunch in the mess, and at night there was dinner with the acting chief of the Army at Bellevue near Copenhagen. Thursday was reserved for sight-seeing, with a visit to Kronborg Castle at Elsinore, and at
night there was dinner with Military Attache Lieutenant General H. M. Mallard, Denmark and the Danish Army.)
Oversat fra Journal
of teh Royal Artillery 75:4 side 266 (1948) af Peter Maarbjerg
(Translated from Journal of the Royal Artillery 75:4, page 266 (1948) by Peter Maarbjerg