The Trust held its annual Festival of Remembrance on the 10th November at St Michael’s Church, East Wickham, where we remembered those men from our local area who lost their lives in the First World War, as well as all casualties of war since then and in current conflicts.
The Mayor, Cllr Sue Gower MBE, laid a wreath, and we were also joined by the Rt. Rev. Alastair Cutting, Bishop of Woolwich, David Easton, Deputy Lieutenant for Bexley, Daniel Francis MP and many leaders and members of our local community, including Mrs Frances Greir, Bexley’s oldest veteran, at 105 years
This year, we also remembered the vital role that animals had played in the war, who, with no choice, filled many critical roles in the military and experienced the horrors of war alongside those who fought. The music and readings reflected this, and we thank Natasha Kissane and Mark Hopkins for their professional and moving performances, the WI Choir, Bill Cooper on trumpet and Doug Snow on the organ. We must, of course, also mention the wonderful Belvedere Concert Band, which plays to such a high standard each year.
Thank you to our guests for giving an incredible total of £1,250 in our retiring collection. This will be given to Veterans With Dogs, providing life-changing assistance dogs for current and former members of the British Armed Forces.
We also thank members of the St John Ambulance, 358 (Welling) Squadron, Air Cadets and the 1st and 2nd East Wickham Scout groups for their invaluable help on the day.
Below are a selection of photos below from the day taken by Richard Crowe and Adrian Buckenham.
The Flag Folding Ceremony
The Act of Remembrance and the Last Post
