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Remembrance Day 2014

Remembrance Day Service at Truro Cathedral

(Armistice Day Service)

11th November 2014

The Year 5 and Year 6 School Council representatives were invited to take part in the Service of Remembrance, held at Truro Cathedral, commemorating 100 years of the start of WW1.

The children were dressed very smartly in their school uniform, completed by their school councillor badges and a poppy.

The cathedral was full with many local schools, and local people who wished to pay their respects. The service was very moving, with the boy choristers singing ‘For the Fallen’ by Mark Blatchly, the words of which are printed below. The congregation sang two hymns: ‘Lord of all Hopefulness’ and ‘Make me a Channel of your Peace.’

We were invited to think about the significance of the poppy as a symbol representing those fallen in WW1, as well as the symbol of hope that God will always be with us. Roger Bush, the Dean of the Cathedral, gave an address in which he expressed the poppy as God saying that “no matter what atrocities men throw at each other, that will never be the end: I will always be with you, and will never leave you.” So this message of hope was in our thoughts as the hundreds of poppy were dropped from the tower of the cathedral (inside).

Watching the ‘poppy drop’ was remarkable and followed the two minutes of silence. The entire cathedral remained hushed as we watched the paper poppies fall slowly down around the cathedral, and cover the steps in front of the pulpit.

One poppy stuck behind the cross above the pulpit, and one of our pupils commented how this showed the hope of God, and the love of Jesus.

After the service, we spent time looking at the fallen poppies (the children were moved by how it represented the fallen soldiers and all had tales to tell of family members who had been involved in the WW1). We also looked around the cathedral, at the Altar, the Quire, the lit candles and the artwork made by secondary school pupils.

The six Ladock pupils were exemplary in their behaviour and they all spoke of how special and amazing it was to watch the poppies falling, and to be part of this historic service.

 

For the Fallen’ by Mark Blatchly

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,

England mourns for her dead across the sea.

Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,

Fallen in the cause of the free.

 

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;

They fell with their faces to the foe.

 

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

 

Words: from the poem ‘For the Fallen’ by Laurence Binyon