WHAT A PRIVILEGE - A SEAT WITH A VIEW

We had a good Remembrance Service at Church this morning, using photographs given to me by people in our congregation of members of their family, some of whom they had never met but who had been killed during both World Wars, poems written by a serving soldier, who was a loving grandfather, newspaper cuttings and letters all of which I combined to make a Powerpoint Presentation.  It was very well received and even though I had seen it  many times, I still found it very moving.

After the service, I had asked Mr. HCB if we could down to the Cenotaph at the Town Hall, so that I could take several photographs, and use these as part of my Seat With A View challenge and he was happy to take me.  I usually put a photograph of him sitting on the seat as the middle photograph, but today it had to be Max Blackman and he did indeed, have a Seat With A View.

We were pleased to see that although the service was over, many people including families with young children, were still wandering around and reading the inscriptions on the poppy wreaths and on the crosses.  Perhaps some of the names mentioned on the crosses were grandfathers, or great grandfathers of those looking.

Our biggest thrill, though, was to meet Max Blackman, who had been brought by his carer, also called Maureen, not only to the service, but also to look around afterwards.  Whilst his carer took a photograph of Max, (and I took one of them both together on Maureen’s phone), I asked if he would mind if I took one of him, and he said he would be delighted.  He told us that he was 100 years old next Thursday, 16th November, which is the same birthday as my grandfather, what a coincidence.  Max said that he had serviced as a Captain in the Wiltshire Regiment for 51 years and had served in many battles.  

Max really was a lovely man and both Mr. HCB and I told him how grateful we were to people like him who had served their country and fought to bring us freedom - and we told him what a privilege it was to meet him, especially today.  It was very cold with a biting wind, so Maureen and Max didn’t stay much longer but it was so good to meet him - and to be able to thank him for all he had done in the service of his country in the Second World War.  The top left shows the medals that Max was wearing. 

There were many small crosses that people had written on and it was very poignant to see them all next to the Cenotaph today.  You can see by the photograph of the Town Hall clock that there was a beautiful blue sky, and I waited for some time to get a good shot of our country’s flag.

At the top centre of the collage is a wall of the Pilgrim Centre which is a meeting place in the centre of Swindon and an amalgamation of five Churches - known as Central Church - the Baptist Tabernacle, the Methodist Central Hall, Broad Street Church of Christ, Sanford Street Congregational Church, and Trinity Presbyterian Church. These last three denominations joined together and now form the United Reformed Church within Central Church. 

All these Churches were challenged to give up their lives as separate churches and in 1978 came together at Trinity Church, at the bottom of Victoria Road and called themselves Central Church.  In 1990 they moved into the purpose-built Pilgrim Centre, built on the site of the original Baptist Tabernacle.  It is a great ministry to the Town Centre and includes a café, which is open for refreshments, run by volunteers, and also meeting rooms that are used for many other church and community organisations.  

The building at the top right of the collage is Swindon’s tallest building and known as the David Murray John Tower, named after a man who became the Town Clerk in 1937 and had real vision for Swindon by bringing in small industries to regenerate the town after the Second World War.  The building is 83 metres high and dominates the skyline.  It has 21 storeys and is largely made up of residential properties, with the first four floors being allocated to office space.  David Murray John, often regarded as “Mr. Swindon”, had always campaigned for a towering landmark to signify the centre point of the town.  He retired in 1974 when the Tower was in the course of construction but sadly never lived to see the completion and opening in 1976.

We were glad to get home and make some soup to warm us up but were thrilled that we had had such a great time and it will be hard to beat today’s Seat With A View.

I’m sure these words, written by Laurence Binyon, taken from his poem “For the Fallen”, and first published in 1914, have been used many times during this weekend - and we do indeed need to remember the sacrifice paid by so many for us.

“They shall grow not old
     as we that are left grow old,
          at the going down on the sun
               and in the morning,
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.”