REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

I saw an article in a local newspaper about Robin Blackford, a sculptor, who had created a Remembrance Day display outside his home at All Cannings, inspired by the famous Tower of London display, in which ceramic poppies marked the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.

However, Mr. Blackford’s display was made using the bottoms cut out of 200 plastic bottles.  It took him more than two months to cut up the bottles and paint them all red, the idea coming from his granddaughter, who said it would be good to recycle the plastic bottles.  This year is the 100th anniversary of the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal, so it fits in very well.  

On a very murky Sunday, after watching our Church service on Facebook, off we went.  As we drove, it seemed to get even murkier and we were very surprised it didn’t start raining because the clouds were very black.

However, I had enough time to take several photographs, not only of the display but also the area fronting onto The Green in the village, where various crosses were positioned, with the names of those who had died in the war, so I have made a collage of my other photographs.  There were several crosses with the same surname, so I’m guessing that at least two members of the same family were killed - so very sad.  Bearing in mind that Mr. HCB wears a Tilley hat all year round, the two Tilley names leapt out at me.  

I also took several shots around All Saints Church in All Cannings, including the Celtic cross with poppies where the service would have taken place this morning,  a display inside the Church and one of the beautiful stained glass windows, the Kennet and Avon Canal, looking in both directions and two lovely thatched cottages.  You can see, too, that someone has had fun with a rather large yew bush, opposite the Church.  Bearing in mind how dull it was, I was quite pleased with how they all turned out!

As no doubt many of you did, we watched the Service of Remembrance from The Royal Albert Hall last night.  Before they were spoken last night, I had already put the words of John Maxwell Edmonds onto a photograph I had taken at the National Memorial Arboretum when we visited in October, so have also put that in as an extra.  Mr. HCB’s Grandfather always stood for the National Anthem, whenever he heard it, so we did our bit by standing and singing too, but I couldn’t help thinking of Mr. HCB’s father, Harry, when several of the hymns were sung.  I think they all had descants in the last verse, and although Harry died way back in 1977, I still remember him grumbling whenever he heard a descant being sung “Bloomin’ descant - ruins a good hymn!”  

So Remembrance Day is over for another year, but there are still wars and conflicts going on in different parts of the world - as 2021 draws to a close, wouldn’t it be wonderful if 2022 was the Year of Peace?

“Peace cannot be achieved through violence, 
     it can only be attained through understanding.” 
Ralph Waldo Emerson

P.S.  The Countryfile programme comes from the National Memorial Arboretum this evening - starting at 5.30 p.m.