On 11 November, we marked the annual Remembrance Day with poignant memorial assemblies in school. The key focus of the assemblies was to focus on the personal stories from war – in our case, the tales of former school students who gave their lives during World War I. Over 100 years on from that conflict, Mr Rumsey spoke to students about how important it is to keep remembering, to honour the soldiers’ sacrifices – not just in that war but in all conflicts since.
We also heard from several students, including Head Boy Ben Rawsthorne and Year 11 student, Oliver Hone. The latter remembered his pre-pandemic trip to the Ypres battlefields in Belgium, recalling what it was like to see actual trenches used during conflict. At the end of the assembly, a wreath was laid at the base of our war memorial, before a minute of silent reflection.
At 11.00am, two minutes of silence were observed across the school. Meanwhile, we took a small group of students over to the local Borough Road Memorial. A small service was given by the St Mary’s Church Reverend Elis Matthews and attended by members of the community and other local schools. Several of our students gave readings during the service, while Max Manson (9Ad) had the honour of playing ‘The Last Post’ on the bugle. As always, it was an honour for us to be involved in this important community event. It was a poignant day, with everyone present able to reflect on how our freedom was earned by the sacrifices of others.
Tags: 2021-22, History, News, Remembrance
