Remembrance Sunday at Wickham Market

 

Off message but this weekend Gill and I were away in Suffolk for a special family wedding. Normally on Remembrance Sunday, we would have attended the service today at All Saints, West Ham, with local Councillors and our MP, Lyn Brown. 

This morning, after packing up at our holiday cottage, we went to the local service in (by coincidence) All Saints, Wickham Market, Suffolk. 

It is also a beautiful ancient church (although at "only" 700 years it is not as old as All Saints, West Ham). 

The service was respectful, well delivered and thoughtful. What was most striking to me was that a British Army officer in full uniform, read out all the names of the villagers killed in World War One and World War Two. 

While as dreadful as the World War two casualty list was, the huge and staggering number of dead from the conflict 1914-1918 must have simply decimated the numbers of young men in this rural village. How many more who survived must have suffered life changing injuries both physical and mental? 

After the service, wreaths were laid at the war memorial outside the Church followed by refreshments at the British Legion club. 

103rd Anniversary of Armistice Day at East Ham Cenotaph

This morning I laid a wreath on behalf of Newham Councillors at the Cenotaph in Central Park, East Ham. My colleague, Cllr Carleene Lee-Phakoe, Cabinet lead for Brighter Futures, had firstly laid a wreath on behalf of the Council.

It was a very well organised and moving ceremony. Many thanks to the British Legion, Newham Catholic Deanery Schools, Historians and Newham Council events team.

I will remember the many marvelous speeches, songs, prayers and contributions but will never forget the toddler who had escaped her mum to wander in front of the cenotaph during the two minutes silence and later was trying to copy The Reveille trumpeter by blowing into a rolled up programme.

The main shadow in the picture is that of our Newham Deputy Lieutenant, John Barber, in his full uniform.

4 August 2014 - 100th anniversary of the start of World War One

This morning at 11am I went to the Cenotaph at East Ham Central Park for a Newham Council ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War One.

A British Legion representative laid the first wreath followed by the Mayor and representatives of the former boroughs of East and West Ham.

One lovely spontaneous touch was as the wreaths were being laid, a passerby stopped and started singing a beautiful lament to the fallen "Sleep on Beloved, Sleep on and take your rest".

My Grandfather, Frederick John Matthews MC, Royal Naval Division, fought in the First World War. On 5 August 1914 he was still an apprentice "mechanical engineer and draughtsman" in a South Wales Steel works. He left to join up on 2 September 1914 and returned to work (briefly) in January 1919.

I hope in the coming years to follow in his footsteps a hundred year later, starting off next  year at Gallipoli in Turkey then the trench battles of France and Belgium.

hat tip picture Cllr Ayesha Chowdhury,