MOVING pieces of drama, music and dance were performed by students at Avon Valley School in honour of those who have given their lives for freedom.
During the school’s annual Remembrance Assembly, students watched, listened and reflected as their peers performed to mark 100 years since the First World War ended.
During the assembly, Terry Aspland, standard bearer from a local branch of the Royal British Legion, lowered the standard as the last post was played, before the school’s head teacher Alison Davies read the exhortation, taken from Laurence Binyon’s poem For the Fallen.
As part of the school’s remembrance activities, students also spent time learning about different types of ‘Tommies’ who served in the First World War – including child soldiers, colonial troops, those conscripted and those who volunteered to serve.
The school also focused on 1,015 soldiers, who are recorded as having died 100 years to the day before the assembly.
The soldiers’ names went on display in the school’s reception area, overlooked by four ‘Tommy’ silhouettes from the ‘There But Not There’ project.
Achievement leader Dan Phelan said: “As a school we have just over 1,000 students and on the day of our remembrance assemblies, one hundred years ago, just over 1,000 people died. As a school we have remembered these people along with the millions of other who have lost their live in conflict.”
Head teacher Alison Davies said: “We are proud to continue the tradition of holding a remembrance assembly which gives our students the opportunity to reflect and remember the price which has been paid for our freedom. Seeing the wonderful work our students have produced makes me feel very proud.”
OVER a thousand hand-knitted poppies were made by residents, carers, friends and family at a nursing home in tribute to those who died in service.
Willow Tree Nursing Home was decorated with a poppy wall comprising 1,347 poppies.
The School Street home commemorated the 100th Armistice Day with an afternoon tea for residents and wartime songs performed by Eleanor Mattley.
The knitted poppy wall took residents, relatives and others four months to make – and activities coordinator Dawn Hulley was delighted with their response.
She said: “Between them they’ve made a wall of knitted poppies and it looks fantastic. Most of the poppies are red but we also have a few purple ones to remember the many thousands of animals, including service horses and dogs, who also died in conflict.
“We started asking people to knit poppies in June and by the end of October we had enough to complete the wall. It really does look amazing and was worth all the hard work.”
Residents were also invited to record details of loved ones who fought in the First or Second World Wars in a memory book which was placed next to the wall.
Two of the home’s residents fought in the Second World War – Alum Rees, who fought on the front line, and John Hunt who was in the air force for 10 years.
ARMISTICE art has gone on display at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum (RAGM).
Local artist Janet Watson has created a triptych – a work of art in three panels – depicting a landscape of poppies.
It was commissioned by the Rugby Dunsmore Rotary Club to mark the 100 year anniversary of the end of the First World War – inspired by the 2014 poppy display at the Tower of London commemorating the centenary of the conflict’s outbreak.
Mike Folly, chairman of fund-raising for Rugby Dunsmore Rotary Club, said: “The aim of the project was to celebrate Rugby’s artistic talent by commissioning a local artist whose work not only inspires but could capture the spirit of celebration which marked this particular day – and which remembers the enormous number of people who had given their lives so that we all could inhabit a world where we had the opportunities to fulfil our potential and live freely in a democracy.
“The bright individual particles drawn towards the sun represent the millions of people who made huge sacrifices to help make this possible during all conflicts since 1914.
“The aim was to create a stimulating picture to grace any living room, office or board room for ever, not just for the 100th anniversary commemoration, and I think Janet Watson achieved that admirably.”
Janet added: “It is an honour to be part of the Rotary and helping with this amazing project to raise money for charity.”
Limited edition signed prints or unique canvas prints hand-embellished by the artist are available to buy, with a portion of the proceeds going towards armed forces charity SSAFA – one of Rugby Mayor Tom Mahoney’s adpoted charities for his year in office.
Visit www.janetwatsonart.com or www.rotarypoppies.org for more information.
‘HONOURED and amazed’ is how a young poet felt at winning a place in the audience of a Buckingham Palace event to mark the centenary of the First World War’s end.
Hannah Owens attended the Never Such Innocence Finale, a final commemoration and celebration of the charity’s work to engage children and young people with the centenary anniversary.
Hosted by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence, the event took place in the Palace’s main ballroom – normally reserved for investitures and state banquets – and continued afterwards in the drawing room.
Hannah, from Brandon, was invited to attend after excelling in the charity’s poetry competitions over the last two years.
For the 2015-16 competition, the Princethorpe College student won third place for her poem Indefinitely Burdening, and won last year’s competition outright when her poem Dear Ivy earned her first place.
Following her win in July 2017, Hannah was invited to attend the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele where she read out her poem in front of the assembled dignitaries and guests.
Hannah described attending the Never Such Innocence Finale – where she listened to readings and reflections on World War One through poetry, music and art, speeches from members of the armed forces, and statements from the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Defence – as “incredible and utterly surreal”.
Hannah has presented Princethorpe College with a copy of Never Such Innocence’s legacy anthology of work, The Centenary of the First World War.
COLLEGE students and primary school pupils united in respect to thank soldiers and families for their sacrifice.
Public Services students from Rugby College and pupils from Boughton Leigh Junior School joined together in a parade from Rugby College to the British Thomson-Houston War Memorial on Technology Drive.
Deputy Mayor Bill Lewis joined over a hundred parents, teachers and residents at the ceremony to remember the young men and women who died in service to their countries.
A short service was conducted by Rugby College acting chaplain Lesley Turner, with poppy wreaths laid before the two minute silence.
Students from both the school and the college read poems to the assembled crowd.
Reece Pepper, 17, said: “Today gave me the opportunity to honour those who died to ensure we have the rights and freedoms that so many take for granted.”
Balash Fas, 16, said: “Taking part in the service has made me realise how brave the young men and women were. The whole experience has inspired me to keep their memory alive by making a difference wherever I can.”
Boughton Leigh head teacher Paula Duynstee said: “Remembering those who made us free is very important to the children, especially this year. We are very proud of the respect and consideration the children have for others.”
Deputy Mayor Bill Lewis said: “I was very impressed with the number of students from Rugby College and pupils from Boughton Leigh Junior School and their parents who were at the memorial service on such a cold windy morning.
“The college chaplain ended the service with the dedication, ‘When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today’, which was very fitting.”
Rugby College Public Services lecturer Tony O’Brien said: “I am very proud of our public services students, who organised a fantastic tribute to mark the centenary of the end of World War One, and ensure we never forget the sacrifices made by previous generations who fought for our freedom.”
PUPILS at Clifton Primary School formed the shape of a giant poppy visible from the sky in tribute to the fallen.
The school welcomed guests to join them in a service of remembrance on Monday (November 12).
The service included singing, art and poetry readings in both English and German, including Flanders Field and poems written by the children for the occasion.
Guests included Peter Everett, who recounted his experiences as a primary-school aged child during the Second World War, and Henry, a young bugler from Crescent School who played the Last Post and Reverie to begin and end a two minute silence.
The names of fallen soldiers from the village were shared before students joined hands around the entire school perimeter, passing poppies and messages of peace to one another.
The children plan to lay the messages at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer in France during a residential trip next year.
The event culminated in the huge-scale poppy tribute which was captured in photograph by a drone.
Head teacher Lisa Bernard said: “Our service today helped us all to remember the sacrifice made by so many who fought valiantly to bring peace to the world.”
A MOVING visit to the battlefields of the Somme brought home the meaning of Remembrance Day to a group of Army Cadets from Rugby.
They visited First World War battlefield sites with special significance to Warwickshire, culminating in a service of remembrance at Thiepval.
At Serre Road Cemetery – built on land fought over by two battalions from Warwickshire – they saw war graves belonging to fallen soldiers nearly as young as themselves, and a cadet read out a poignant letter written to a fallen 16-year-old who had joined after lying about his age.
The cadets entered the trenches at the Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, giving them an insight into the experiences of the Canadian soldiers who fought there.
They also visited Hawthorn Ridge, where the Lancashire Fusiliers lost 163 men on the first morning of the Battle of the Somme.
Cadet Lance Corporal Eleanor Tuckey said: “When you are told about battles in the classroom you kind of understand how it must have felt fighting.
“But when you are walking through the battlefields and see what they had to endure, you really can feel what it must have been like for those soldiers involved.”
At the commemorative service for the fallen in Thiepval, Cadet Lance Corporal Ethan Saturley said: “It was really moving to see so many names on the memorial. They were the same age as us and it really makes you think.”
Their instructor Richard Tuckey said: ”As an adult volunteer it was moving for me to see these young people realise what it must have been like for the people who fought in the world wars and the respect they showed for the fallen.
“Their behaviour was impeccable throughout and I was proud of them all.”
A WREATH of remembrance was laid to mark the end of the First world War 100 years ago – appropriately, at Centenary Park.
The Newbold-on-Avon Community Partnership (NOACP) met with a group of residents early on Remembrance Day to honour the fallen of the village.
Leading the two-minute silence was NoACP chairman and county councillor Alan Webb.
Coun Webb said: “It is particularly important that not only do we remember the ultimate sacrifice made by Newbold villagers, but share with our community the respect they earned and resolve never to have to relive this horror.
“We hope that our future generations learn and understand from our history.”
HILLMORTON residents turned out in droves to pay their respects on Remembrance Day.
They gathered at the village cenotaph to witness the annual march-past of service veterans and community groups, and attended a unique outdoor church service.
The event was organized by the Hillmorton branch of the Royal Britsh Legion, and the service was conducted by Rev. Hillary Iredale of St George’s Church, Paddox and Rev Steve Gold of St John the Baptist Church.
