100th Anniversary of Armistice

During the service In our village Andrew Motion’s new poem called ‘Armistice ‘ was read out - he drew from some of the many inscriptions chosen to mark the war graves .
‘Motion drew on some of the most moving personal inscriptions found on nearly a quarter of a million of the Commission headstones around the world.
One in particular inspired the poem’s ending – that of Pte Roy Douglas Harvey – whose headstone in Bouchoir New British Cemetery in France bears the words: “My task accomplished and the long day done”.’

“Think of Private Roy Douglas Harvey who was killed

a reserved and thoughtful schoolboy from Hillhead

leaving behind among other valuable relics a diary

completed up to the evening before his dawn attack

along with a much-thumbed Collins Gem dictionary

from the pages of which rose and will continue rising

these words as time and space maintain their relation

my task accomplished and the long day done.”

It was a very moving service ; it helped to emerge from the church into sunshine .
We watched some of the Andrew Jackson film this evening which made the events seem so much closer to us than previous fast speed, black and white images.
Certainly a day to be thankful for the privileged life most of us have led without such horrors .