Letchworth Howard members go on parade in World War One commemoration

Members of Letchworth Howard Rotary Club and their partners were put on parade on Monday September 2 in a World War One commemoration that paid homage to the Letchworth men of the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire regiments who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The evening, led by a team from the Wilbury Hills Amateur Theatricals group in Letchworth, had its lighter side, with a splendid home-cooked meal at the Letchworth Bowls Club, and a sing-along that recalled the happier days before the war’s start before moving on to wartime hits and the celebrations that marked its end.

But there were many more serious moments as the names of the Letchworth fallen were circulated and members penned their thoughts to them on replica period postcards. There were readings from the war poets, and members were invited to create sashes of the sort worn by members of the Pals groups who signed up together as volunteers. The picture shows some of the Rotary Pals, with club president Angela Silver and members Francis Callis, Colin Green and Alan Fraser, led by a splendidly uniformed member of the Wilbury Hills troupe.

The evening ended with the creation of a board of poppies in memory of the Letchworth fallen and all the many millions killed in the conflict.

David Walker
Letchworth Howard Rotary Club