Remembering the Fallen

On Saturday, November 8, the day before the Remembrance Day ceremony, Army cadets were out early at the War Memorial, outside Costa Coffee and the Human Kind café, and at a table in Waitrose, doing a brisk trade in sales of red poppies to the public.  Fortunately, the weather was kind and it was a sunny bright day, cool but not cold, although there was a chill in the air.

We hoped for the same weather for the Remembrance Commemoration, and, unlike last year, we were not disappointed, and the weather was equally good on the Sunday.

A Moving Ceremony

Rotary Club of Billericay members attended Memorial Services in Little Burstead, Brentwood and other local towns, but in Billericay, if anything, the crowds were even larger than last year’s Commemoration.  In fact, thousands thronged the High Street for the very moving tribute to the fallen, amongst whom were club members Peter Greene and President Stephen King, resplendent in a suit and his father’s wartime medals.
Stephen reports that his father was part of the invasion force at Normandy and, like many veterans, he never mentioned winning his medals.  StephenHe only found out about them when he came across them after his father passed away.  President Stephen was there to lay the wreath on behalf of the club, and to pay tribute to the fallen. 

As in previous years, a Remembrance Parade led by the cadet forces, British Legion, Scouts, Guides, Brownies and other local organisations marched down the High Street from Sun Corner and took up positions around the memorial, some of them immediately in front of us.

For the second year in a row, this moving ceremony was led by the Rotary Club of Billericay’s Reverend Margaret Fowler of Christ Church, and she ensured the whole service went off faultlessly. 

Names of the Fallen

Margaret started the ceremony with some bible quotes from John and Psalms from, followed by an initial hymn “I vow to thee my country” – so appropriate for a Remembrance Day service.  This was followed by that emblematic and symbolic poem:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
And the response:
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them ...

The Last Post was sounded by the trumpeter,  followed by two minutes silence, and then by Reveille, as usual.  Then came a Hymn, a bible reading, and prayers “God Give Peace”, followed by the Lord’s Prayer and the Hymn “God is working his purpose out …”. 

There are 62 fallen from World War I and 54 from World War II inscribed on the War Memorial.  As each of their names, ranks and ages were read out by members of the cadet forces present at the service, the King’s representative, stepped forward to lay the first wreath, followed by Richard Holden MP, and the Royal British Legion and other dignitaries.

They were followed by the Armed Forces and Associations, Emergency Services, Civic and Community Groups including Service clubs like Rotary, Churches and Service organisations, Businesses, and Local schools.

Finally, members of the public were invited to pay tribute for personal losses with wreaths or crosses.
President Stephen King represented our Club, stepping forward to lay our wreath with the town’s other Rotary Clubs – Billericay Mayflower (represented by Nick Sillitoe) and Billericay Town (represented by President David Talbot).

The Service ended with the National Anthem and a closing prayer, before the parade marched off back to their assembly point, and then the crowd of attendees slowly dispersed, some who may have had personal links to the fallen, taking more time to inspect the memorial

There ... Again 

For the sixth year, the War Memorial was flanked by the two “There but not There” Tommies, one of which had been fully funded by the Rotary Club of Billericay in the memory of the late Club President Trevor Stansfield, also past Chairman of the Town Council and many other town organisations.
Trevor was dedicated to ensuring the War Memorial appearance was protected and improved so that it reflected the pride in which we hold those who had lost their lives for us.  
We end this report as is customary with a photograph of the War Memorial after all the wreaths had been laid, and with the words of that famous poem of the conflict:

“At The Going Down
Of The Sun And In
The Morning, We
Will Remember Them”