The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month is one of the most momentous dates in world history, and one that Remembrance ensures we will not forget. As our week began on the 11th November, it was only fitting that our community came together for our Act of Remembrance shortly before 11am on Monday. We began with a Middle and Upper School Assembly in the Hall, where two pieces of music associated with the date were performed. Rory in Year 7 played “Jupiter” from The Planets, which is also known as the hymn I Vow To Thee My Country, and we all sang Jerusalem together.
Mr Holt led the Assembly, and drew attention to the first St Christopher’s Honours Board in the south east corner of the Hall. It records the earliest Scholarships awarded to the school between 1929 and 1935. Although we know next to nothing about the names inscribed, we can be sure that they would have lost members of their extended families in the Great War, and that those losses would still have been felt. The very first pupils to attend St Christopher’s in September 1927 would almost certainly have included children left fatherless by the war.
The events of World War I may seem very distant, but we reminded the children that British servicemen and women continue to give their lives in defence of their country and the freedoms and values it upholds. On the recent trip to Dorset, Year 8 visited Bovington Tank Museum, where the regimental memorial to the fallen contains names from every year since 1914, even those years deemed “peacetime” by the history books.
The First World War changed British society in ways that are still important today. The role of women in our society became more equal as a result of it. Brighton played a key role in welcoming wounded Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu soldiers who fought in a conflict thousands of miles from home; a significant step towards the multicultural city we have truly become.
We then moved to the Back Court, where Years 1 to 3 joined us for the call and response, followed by the Last Post, two minutes’ silence, and the Reveille. By observing Remembrance across the school in this way, and by linking the event to our own history, we keep this important event alive in the minds of the next generation.
Ms Elizabeth Lyle, Head