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  1. Authors
  2. Chris Lock BEM

Chris Lock served as a boy soldier in the Junior Leaders Regiment Royal Armoured Corps before serving as a main battle tank crew member in the famous 3rd Royal Tank Regiment. On conclusion of his military service, Chris served with Avon Fire and Rescue Service for 27 years, mostly in the role of Crew Commander. In 2006, Chris moved with his Czechoslovakia-born wife Milena Kolaříková to Ypres in Belgium, where they created the successful battlefield touring company ‘Lest We Forget Battlefield Tours – Flanders’. Whilst living and working at Ypres, they created the ‘Tank Memorial Ypres Salient & Tank Corps Garden of Remembrance – Belgium’, located in Poelkapelle, Belgium. They also initiated the 'To Their Memory' commemorative plaque on behalf of the local WWII Resistance members & patriots located on the wall of the Hotel Regina in Ypres. Chris, supported by Milena authored a book on the 1st Polish Armoured Division’s liberation of Ypres, which took place on 6 September 1944. Milena, supported by Chris, authored The House of the Broken Wings – Ypres, which reveals the rescue and repatriation work of downed Allied pilots and aircrew carried out by local Resistance members, patriots and the famous Comet line Resistance organisation. Milena also founded the ‘RAF F/Sgt Stacey Jones Memorial’, located at Proven in Belgium, and the Memorial Plaque located at the former CIABG HQ in Wormhout, France, on behalf of Major General Alois Liška and his men of the Independent Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade Group who Liberated Dunkerque in May 1945. In 2018, Milena was awarded an honorary British Empire Medal (BEM) ‘for services on behalf of soldiers of the [then] British Empire who fought or who were killed during World War One and are buried or commemorated in Belgium’. In 2023, Chris was awarded the BEM as founder of the Tank Memorial Ypres Salient, the Tank Corps Garden of Remembrance, Belgium, his extensive remembrance work & in 2026 he was further honoured by being awarded the High Sheriff of Somerset Award. Milena is currently employed as ‘Adviser to the Ministry of Defence'’ of the Czech Republic in Prague on matters concerning the Czechoslovak fallen. Today, Milena and Chris live in semi-retirement on Exmoor in Somerset where they share their lives with rescue greyhound Sgt Tilly, she being the official Mascot of the Tank Memorial Ypres Salient & an official Ambassador on behalf of the Greyhound Trust & Russet Greyhound Sanctuary.

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