On the occasion of the 161th anniversary of the death of Lieutenant General Lázár Mészáros, freedom fighter and the first Minister of War responsible to the Parliament of Hungary, a memorial plaque was revealed at St Peter’s Church in Titley on 16th November 2019. General Mészáros died in the nearby Eywood estate in the 10th year of his exile. In his last will, he expressed his wish that his remains should not to be brought back to Hungary until the last foreign soldier left the country. Honouring this request, his descendants refused to allow transferring his ashes back to Hungary until the 1991, after the last Soviet soldier left the country.
The delegation, led by Brigadier General Ernő Baráth, Commander of the Budapest Garrison Brigade participated at the ceremony together with the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Herefordshire, Mr Christopher James OBE, DL. Professor Dr. Róbert Hermann the „Academic Deputy of the Commander of the MoD Military History Institute and Museum”, defence attaché Colonel Viktor Makay and Mr Gábor Szentiványi, former Ambassador to the Court of St James’, also took part in the commemoration.
In his speech General Baráth praised the commitment and determination of General Mészáros, saying that he was the only member of the Batthyány government who chose to stay in his position after the defeat of the revolution in October 1848 and as such, he was the guarantor that the Hungarian side in the self-defence was legitimate.
Reverend Ben Griffith, Vicar of the Church stressed that the local community is proud of the special relationship they have with Hungary. After the commemoration Ms. Marie-Christine Winstone, who has been taking care of the grave in the past, was awarded the bronze grade of the Distinguished Certificate of Taking Care of Military Graves of Hungary in recognition of her dedicated work.
The grave of General Mészáros can be found in the courtyard of the church to this day. Thanks to the local community’s dedication, the original Hungarian inscriptions is still visible: “To General Lázár Mészáros, the good Patriot, the valiant Soldier, the noble Friend.”
