NEW ULM – HermannFest 2014 participants learned details about Major Tony Clunn and his recent death, from New Ulm history buff Denis Warta Saturday afternoon at Hermann Heights Park

A retired British Army Major and amateur archaeologist who discovered the main site of the Battle of Teutoburg Forest at Kalkriese Hill, Lower Saxon, Germany, Clunn, who visited New Ulm a number of times for Hermann Monument Society and Bavarian Blast events, died Aug. 3 at age 68 in Bissendorf, Germany.

In 1987, Clunn was searching for Roman coins with a metal detector when he found several coins in excellent condition from the reign of Caesar Augustus, plus a Roman sling shot: the first indisputable evidence of military activity at the Hermann/Arminius battle site.

Warta said he met Clunn in 1989 and was in regular contact with him since then.

“His passion for exploration was intense, partly because of a gift – a metal detector – and his clever interpretations of little-known stories about the Varus defeat to Hermann, who united Germanic tribes and drove the Romans and their cruel, conquering ways forever from Germanic areas,” Warta said.

He called the battle one of the most important in world history because there likely would be no German or English language today if the Romans had conquered Germanic lands. Warta said the resulting language would likely have been modified by the Romans, like today’s Spanish, French or Italian languages.

Clunn was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. A copy of his book, “Quest For The Lost Roman Legions,” is available in the Hermann Monument Interpretive Center, thanks to Warta’s donation.

A decree establishing the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany states it is awarded for achievements that served the rebuilding of the country in the fields of political, socio-economic and intellectual activity, and is intended to mean an award for all those whose work contributes to the peaceful rise of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Warta continued his eulogy to Clunn:

“You walked across the fields where they fell

And with the rising of the fog, you could sense their trembling,

you could feel their suffering.

You wept for them, now they weep for you.

As so do we and with us the world.

For a great man has left us forever.

You lived life to the full

and what you’ve achieved will life on forever.

You will be missed dearly but never forgotten!

New Ulm, our Hermann Monument and the Hermann Monument Society lost a dear friend, never to be forgotten.”

Later in the program, Udo Huefner of Yuba City, Calif., Grand President of the Order of Hermann’s Sons of the State of California, presented a German flag with the society’s logo over it, to Hermann Monument Society President Tom Furth.

Furth thanked the fest-goers for their support and said proceeds from the sale of food and beverages will be used to support the Hermann Monument Society (HMS), which organized HermannFest after the New Ulm City Council agreed to pay for the festival fireworks if another organization (HMS) ran the event.

“Thanks for your support and thank the City of New Ulm for the fireworks and being able to enjoy this event again,” Furth said.

HMS Development Director George Glotzbach said between 1,500 and 2,000 people attended the Thunder in the Valley event at Harman Park early Saturday evening, featuring the New Ulm Battery and other battery groups totaling 10 cannons, plus the New Ulm Municipal Band.

“We tried to make HermannFest appeal to people of all ages and musical interests with kickball, volleyball and bean bag tournaments, the Concord Singers, polka bands, and the Time Machine group with 70s, 80s and country western sets, and bringing fireworks back to New Ulm. We plan to make this an annual event that we think can really grow.”

Fritz Busch can be e-mailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.