THAME’S Memorial Gardens and the adjoining Upper High Street, were packed on Sunday, for the town’s annual Service of Remembrance to play homage to those men and women of the armed services, of all creeds, who lost their lives in wars and conflicts.
Hundreds of people of all ages gathered in the chilly but bright, autumn sunshine to pay there respects with a minute of silence and spoken dedications by local church leaders, Alan Garratt, Vicar of St Mary’s Church, Father David from St Joseph’s Catholic Church and Paddy Harris, Pastor of the Cornerstone Church. The Mayor of Thame opened the service with a moving reading from a poem, Remembrance Sunday by Maria Cassee (**see below), and laid a wreath on the steps of the War Memorial, one of many laid by representatives of local community groups, the emergency services and local authorities. Thame’s MP John Howell also layed a wreath.
During the minute’s silence, marked at the start by a lone bugler, barely a sound could be heard, just a gentle rustling from the few leaves left on the trees in the Memorial Gardens. During the service, two army helicopters flew low over the assembled crowd, reminding us all that there are men and women in our armed forces today, standing ready to put their lives on the line to protect the rest of us, in these uncertain times.
In his sermon, Rev Alan Garratt said: “Whichever way we remember, we should remember the courage, the ingenuity, the spirit of working together for a common cause, the planning together for a better world that would come with peace.” He spoke of ‘the colossal horror of war, adding: “We remember the widows of seventy years and more, the old men and who never knew their fathers and mothers. We remember the love, the wisdom wasted, the minds that are still pained by memories.”
As Rev Garratt concluded: “As we remember we must vow to do all we can to ensure that our children and grandchildren never have to face what has gone before.”
Father David ended his prayer with: “God of wisdom, we pray for all whose decisions this day will affect the lives of nations. We think especially of the leaders of countries threatened by war or torn by division. We ask that their hearts and minds may be guided by your spirit into resolving conflicts, and establishing peace with justice and mercy.”
To see more pictures from Sunday’s Remembrance Service, Click on the LINK HERE
**Poem: Remembrance Day
Remembrance Sunday
On a cold November Sunday morn, an old man sits a while
Looking through old photographs, he can’t help but smile
They’re all there, all the boys, with hair cut short and neat
Uniforms of khaki, strong black boots upon their feet.
They met as strangers but soon became like brothers to the end
Smiling at the camera, there could be no truer friends.
They all took the Queen’s shilling, went off to fight the hun,
Soon learnt the pain of loss once the fighting had begun.
So many never made it home, lost on foreign shores
Many more were injured and would be the same no more.
The old man’s eyes mist with tears as he remembers every face
Each of his fallen brothers and the killing which took place
He proudly dons his beret, his blazer and his tie
For today he will remember the ones who fell and died.
On his chest there is a poppy, a blaze of scarlet on the blue
He steps out into the cold, he has a duty he must do
Once at the Cenotaph he stands amongst the ranks
Of those who marched to war and those who manned the tanks,
He bows his head in reverence, as the last post begins to play
And he wonders what will happen at the ending of his days
Will anyone remember? Will anybody care?
About the lads so far from home whose life was ended there?
I wish that I could tell him, that he should fear not
For this soldier and his brothers will NEVER be forgot
We owe a debt of gratitude that we can never pay
And this country WILL remember them, on each Remembrance day.
Maria Cassee
