I have always thought that, given the history of the school and the number of families with Armed Forces connections, we have undersold the Act of Remembrance a little here. Not disastrously so of course – there have been some very moving assemblies and chapel services, and there is always 2 minutes of tranquillity as teachers and students take stock at 11.00am on anniversary day. Nevertheless, for a school which numbers Salisbury’s only VC amongst its alumni and a previous Head who was awarded a DSO at Vimy Ridge we should be doing more to mark those from the school community who have given so much.
This year we will. Thanks to an initiative from one of our sixth form boys and the Chaplain there will be a parade on Monday morning by the Bishop’s Boys who are currently members of the Army, RAF and Navy Cadets through the school, culminating in a short service of remembrance where a wreath will be laid and the Last Post will sound. As it is not a break time several classes will be invited to attend as an audience, and the rest of the school will be silent, as ever, waiting for the Cathedral chimes to sound on the hour.
The ceremony will be followed up on Tuesday by our monthly Cathedral Service at which our guest speaker will be the Ven Martyn Gough, Chaplain of the Fleet and Archdeacon for the Royal Navy; the readings at the service will be by two of our Army Cadets.
In the BWS Chapel there are, as you may know, several memorial boards filled with the names of old boys of the school who fell in the two great wars of the twentieth century. Duty, honour and gratitude call us to mark their sacrifice each year so that memories are intact and new generations do not lose sight or doubt what has been done in the past. In 2019 I think we will be doing our duty in a better way than before.
SDS
