curiouswombat (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
curiouswombat) wrote2012-11-11 03:23 pm
curiouswombat) wrote2012-11-11 03:23 pm
Remembrance Sunday.
Today, like most churches in The British Isles (those in Eire possibly being an exception), we held a special service of Remembrance for all those who have died in wars, both in the last century and this one, both servicemen and women and those who had no choice because war came to them.
As we do every year, we read out the names of those members of our congregation killed in the two World Wars, and were quietly grateful that our congregation has lost no-one to war since.
As we did this, the children 'planted' the poppies we made last week into the 'cornfield' that they also made last week - one for each of those named on our memorial, one for servicemen who have died since, one for servicemen who are still serving, and one for the others, men, women and children, caught up in conflict.
Then I spoke for a few minutes, particularly aimed at the children and young people.
I have put what I said under a cut, for length.
I am going to tell you about a young man called Walter who was born on 1st August.
(Anyone here born on that day? Or in August?)
He was christened on 31st August in Castletown – I wonder if his mum and dad had a long family christening robe?
His family moved to Douglas. They lived in Grosvenor Road. They started to come to St Andrews Church, and Walter came to Sunday School.
Is Anyone here 15? Nearly 15? Well something very big happened only 3 days after Walter's 15th birthday.
You see Walter was born on 1st August 1899 and so what happened was the outbreak of War on August 4th 1914.
His everyday life probably didn’t change much – but there would have been much more exciting stories in the Courier and the Examiner than there had been before! Then the stories became about Manxmen who had been injured, or had died - perhaps he knew some of them, or their brothers and sisters.
By the time he was 16 or 17 things would have been closer to home – Walter’s big brother Horace had joined the army and would be away fighting in France, so had his cousin Eddie.
Walter joined the army, too – as soon as he could – so when he was 18. You went to train first – but not for very long… So by the time he was 18½ he was fighting in the trenches of the First World War. You’ve all seen the pictures…
Walter had his 19th birthday whilst he was in France – I don’t know if he spent it in a trench, or if he was behind the lines and managed to spend it in somewhere a bit more comfortable. I hope it was somewhere dry, and that, perhaps, he got a present or two from home.
But one thing I do know… that was his last birthday ever – because on 23rd August 1918 Walter Carr Cannell was killed in what was called the 100 day offensive.
He never came back to Grosvenor Rd, to church…
But every year we remember him, and the others – because his name is there on our War Memorial.
And I just want you to remember that all those people were ordinary people, like us – and they didn’t go to fight because they liked the idea – they did it because they thought it was right. It might have been right – but it must have been horrible almost all the time – and imagine how his Mum and Dad felt, when they got the letter to say Walter was dead.
So we must remember them to help us remember that war is almost never the answer…
Later we were talking about the Poppy Appeal, which raises money for ex-servicemen. Last year they raised £38m. One of the teenagers pointed out that that would be enough to buy 'a pretty good football player'. It kind of puts our priorities into perspective, doesn't it?
As we do every year, we read out the names of those members of our congregation killed in the two World Wars, and were quietly grateful that our congregation has lost no-one to war since.
As we did this, the children 'planted' the poppies we made last week into the 'cornfield' that they also made last week - one for each of those named on our memorial, one for servicemen who have died since, one for servicemen who are still serving, and one for the others, men, women and children, caught up in conflict.
Then I spoke for a few minutes, particularly aimed at the children and young people.
I have put what I said under a cut, for length.
I am going to tell you about a young man called Walter who was born on 1st August.
(Anyone here born on that day? Or in August?)
He was christened on 31st August in Castletown – I wonder if his mum and dad had a long family christening robe?
His family moved to Douglas. They lived in Grosvenor Road. They started to come to St Andrews Church, and Walter came to Sunday School.
Is Anyone here 15? Nearly 15? Well something very big happened only 3 days after Walter's 15th birthday.
You see Walter was born on 1st August 1899 and so what happened was the outbreak of War on August 4th 1914.
His everyday life probably didn’t change much – but there would have been much more exciting stories in the Courier and the Examiner than there had been before! Then the stories became about Manxmen who had been injured, or had died - perhaps he knew some of them, or their brothers and sisters.
By the time he was 16 or 17 things would have been closer to home – Walter’s big brother Horace had joined the army and would be away fighting in France, so had his cousin Eddie.
Walter joined the army, too – as soon as he could – so when he was 18. You went to train first – but not for very long… So by the time he was 18½ he was fighting in the trenches of the First World War. You’ve all seen the pictures…
Walter had his 19th birthday whilst he was in France – I don’t know if he spent it in a trench, or if he was behind the lines and managed to spend it in somewhere a bit more comfortable. I hope it was somewhere dry, and that, perhaps, he got a present or two from home.
But one thing I do know… that was his last birthday ever – because on 23rd August 1918 Walter Carr Cannell was killed in what was called the 100 day offensive.
He never came back to Grosvenor Rd, to church…
But every year we remember him, and the others – because his name is there on our War Memorial.
And I just want you to remember that all those people were ordinary people, like us – and they didn’t go to fight because they liked the idea – they did it because they thought it was right. It might have been right – but it must have been horrible almost all the time – and imagine how his Mum and Dad felt, when they got the letter to say Walter was dead.
So we must remember them to help us remember that war is almost never the answer…
Later we were talking about the Poppy Appeal, which raises money for ex-servicemen. Last year they raised £38m. One of the teenagers pointed out that that would be enough to buy 'a pretty good football player'. It kind of puts our priorities into perspective, doesn't it?
no subject
no subject
I like Lead Kindly Light. Would you believe that I~ can't remember all the hymns we sang this morning? That I've already forgotten? Meep!