Rose of Minden Lodge Commemorate the Battle of Minden
Germans and British Honor War Dead of the Past and Present
Bro Joachim Schramm (Left), WM WBro Wolfgang Mann (Centre) & WBro Dave Chessell pay their respects. Photo © Jürgen Langenkämper
German and British representatives gathered in Todtenhausen, Minden, to commemorate those who died in the Battle of Minden (1 August 1759), one of the decisive battles of the Seven Years’ War. The annual ceremony focused on remembering the human cost of war rather than celebrating military victory.
The event was led by Lieutenant Colonel Florian Loges, commander of the German-British Engineer Bridging Battalion 130, and his British deputy, Major Ryan Ingram. It was attended by local officials, military personnel, veterans from the Royal British Legion, historians, community representatives, members of the public, and, for the first time, Alexander Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and his wife, reflecting the historical role of the Prince’s ancestors in the battle.
Among those present were the Worshipful Master and several Brethren of The Rose of Minden Lodge No. 918, who attended the ceremony and paid their respects alongside the other civic and military representatives.
Lieutenant Colonel Loges noted that around 100,000 soldiers fought in the battle. Allied forces (British, Prussian, Hanoverian, Brunswick, Hessian, and Schaumburg-Lippe) suffered about 2,800 casualties, while the French and Saxon forces suffered around 8,000 casualties. He stressed that the ceremony honoured all victims of war and violence, not just those from 1759.
The speech also highlighted the Allied victory under Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick, praising the discipline and determination of British infantry, whose actions became a lasting part of British military tradition.
Drawing a connection to the present, Loges compared the multinational Allied cooperation of 1759 with today’s NATO partnership, emphasising the close cooperation between German and British soldiers in the Minden-based Engineer Bridging Battalion.
The ceremony included prayers, traditional military music, wreath-laying by military and civic leaders, participation from British veterans, and concluded with the German and British national anthems. The Worshipful Master and Brethren of The Rose of Minden Lodge Nr. 918 joined those gathered in paying their respects to the fallen, reinforcing the Lodge’s continued commitment to remembrance and honouring the sacrifices of the past.
Complete coverage of the event can be found at the Mindener Tageblatt