Saturday 17, April 2010. Today was a very special day for the Wey & Arun Canal, with a double cause for celebration at Loxwood, on the Sussex/Surrey border.

First, the new addition to the trip boat fleet, the 12-passenger Josias Jessop, was named at Loxwood Lock by Lady Egremont, wife of Wey & Arun Canal Trust (WACT) president Lord Egremont. It was Lord Egremont's ancestor, the third Earl of Egremont, who had been the driving force behind the building of the canal in the early years of the 19th century, and Josias Jessop was the engineer whom the third Earl had commissioned to survey the route. The boat has been converted and refurbished by WACT volunteers, and with her inboard diesel engine should offer a quieter and smoother ride than her predecessor, John Smallpeice.

Following the naming ceremony, the VIP party travelled on another of the trip boats, the 30-seater narrowboat Zachariah Keppel, along the half-mile or so of newly-filled canal to Devils Hole Lock. Devils Hole is the most northerly stone-built lock on the canal (the rest en route to the River Wey were built of brick) and as such it played an unusual, but vital, part in World War II. The Canadian Army, stationed nearby at Wisborough Green needed practice in laying explosives in preparation for the Dieppe Raid in August 1942. They practiced on the remains of Devils Hole Lock, which had lain disused since the canal closed some 70 years earlier. The result was that the upper part of the lock chamber was completely demolished and has been rebuilt in recent years by WACT volunteers. The rebuilding has provided an opportunity to lengthen the lock and to install a back-pump to save water.

It was fitting, therefore, that the rebuilt lock should be reopened by a Canadian Army representative. Colonel Paul Rutherford, Senior Army Adviser to the Canadian High Commission cut the ribbon on the bridge over the lock, and before doing so he paid tribute to the volunteers responsible for restoring the lock and the rest of the canal. "I have enjoyed a wonderful day in beautiful weather, visiting the reopened section of canal," he said, "and the restorers can be very proud of what they have achieved through voluntary effort".

Colonel Rutherford was accompanied by Lt Col Pal Mann and Lt Col D Janelle from the Canadian High Commission, and the event was also attended by a party of Canadian WWII veterans who had settled in the area after the war, many of whom had been involved in building the nearby Dunsfold airfield.

WACT Chairman Sally Schupke asked those present to remember the many Canadians who did not make it back after Dieppe - about 3600 of them, almost 60% of the total, were killed, wounded or captured. She also thanked the land owners for their cooperation and the local residents for their understanding. "The people of Loxwood and the surrounding villages have had to endure mud and puddles in our quest to bring back canal to its present navigable state," she said. "But the end result is well worth it, a unique feature has been given back to the neighbourhood."

At Devils Hole, the magnificent turn out of canal supporters and local people were able to enjoy snacks and a glass of wine while the Guildford Friary Band was playing. An additional attraction was a catering trailer providing local Sussex Charmer toasted cheese. After a performance on the canal side by Broadwood Morris Men, the VIPs and the rest of those present made their way back to Loxwood and the Onslow Arms pub, which provided lunch for the VIPs on the largest trip boat, the 50-seater Wiggonholt.

After the formalities a rally of a number of small boats from canoes up to 23ft trailable canal cruisers enjoyed the extension to the navigable section, and there were further performances from the brass band and the Morris dancers.

The weather was magnificent, with no evidence of the clouds of volcanic ash that were reportedly drifting from Iceland. Coincidentally the opening of the canal in 1816 occurred soon after a previous instance of ash from a volcano causing severe climatic disruption. In 1815 Mount Tambora in Indonesia had erupted, the biggest eruption in recorded history, with the clouds blocking out the sun and drastically lowering the temperature of the entire Northern Hemisphere. This time, despite the disruption to air travel, we escaped much more lightly.

Further information about the Wey & Arun Canal Trust is available from the Trust's office, on 01403 752403. -ends-

Notes for Editors

The Wey & Arun Canal Trust

The Wey & Arun Canal, "London's lost route to the sea" was originally opened in 1816 between the River Wey at Shalford, near Guildford, and Pallingham, near Pulborough, the head of navigation of the River Arun. It closed in 1871, due to railway competition. Since the 1970s the 23-mile waterway has been the subject of a campaign by volunteers led by the Wey & Arun Canal Trust to restore the route to navigation. Work has been undertaken in a number of locations, most notably the stretch near the Sussex/Surrey border at Loxwood. Over two miles in length, this includes four working locks, two public road crossings, an aqueduct, two farm bridges, and numerous minor works, all built or rebuilt through voluntary effort. Boat trips are available on this stretch, onboard several craft, including the new 50-seater electrically-powered Wiggonholt. See www.weyandarun.co.uk