Remembering in Second Lockdown

Remembrance Sunday 2020 was a time for St Mary’s Weymouth to add a new element to a growing visual display on Church Green, emphasising Christian virtues. Town Community Chaplain Neil Biles has been adding a carved wooden word each week, to accompany sermons based on the 'Fruit of the Spirit' in Galatians 5:22-23, and the likes of 'peace', 'kindness', 'patience' and 'faithfulness' fit well with Remembrance. On Sunday the Revd Jo Haine spoke on faithfulness, and Neil added a silhouette of a WWI soldier with a sign '1914-1918 Lest We Forget'. A short Act of Remembrance video pre-recorded by parish clergy on the seafront was screened during a Zoom Sunday morning service in their homes.

Also recording a video, the Revd Maria Shepherdson broadcast from St James' Avebury.

View the service on YouTube here.

Shrewton CE Primary School tweeted:

"Grateful to our community for making it possible for us to safely pay our respects this year. It was a privilege to see our Head Boy and Head Girl represent the school with such respect, compassion and empathy."

In West Moors, the Revd Andy Muckle says: "One of the most poignant images to me on Remembrance Sunday is the young people of our town remembering the fallen at the War Memorial. The sense of generations coming together to remember is so powerful and so, given the lockdown restrictions, I wanted to include the 3 schools in the town in an Act of Remembrance.” The service was conducted by Zoom on Armistice Day from St Mary’s Parish Church. Over 500 people attended to mark the 2 minutes' silence and watched as Revd Andy laid wreaths on the church altar that had been made by each school. Young people from each school also read from the Bible and led prayers. As one shielding parishioner commented afterwards “This service with the young children compensated a lot for my not being able to go the church and on to the West Moors memorial as usual, so I thank you and God bless you all.”

Trent Young's CE School tweeted:

"Owl Class led a service of Remembrance virtually for the school today, where they shared diaries they had written as if they were in the trenches, poems and prayers. They also taught us about symbols of Remembrance; 'le bleuet' in France and the marigold in India."

In Littlebredy, Church Treasurer Catherine Williams says:

"17 villagers from Littlebredy and Long Bredy met around the Littlebredy War Memorial at 10.55am on Sunday to remember those lost in conflict over the years. A short impromptu service was led by the churchwardens and we socially distanced throughout. The lists of those who died in the World Wars and in Aden and Afghanistan more recently were read out, we kept the 2 minute silence, read the Kohima epitaph and Binyon’s 'They shall not grow old', finishing with the collect for the day and the Lord’s Prayer. The service was much appreciated by us all."

The churches of Abbotsbury, Portesham and Langton Herring met at Portesham for a dignified service, and recorded a video for posterity.

View it here.

Robert Simpson, Rector of the Quintet Benefice, says:

"As has become our habit now, we posted a recorded service on our Facebook page which actually featured all 4 of our churches and included a bugle for the Last Post! We also managed to hold 2 low-key events, one at 10.00am at Edmondsham where the village war memorial is outdoors in the churchyard, and one at 9.55am at the war memorial by the village green in Cranborne. Both these events featured the traditional Act of Remembrance, reading of the Roll of Honour and laying of wreaths." There was a similar service on Wednesday 11th at the war memorial in Wimborne St Giles and a more private Remembrance at Woodlands Church.

Wimborne's Armistice Day Service was led by the Rector of Wimborne Minster Andrew Rowland, assisted by the Chaplain to the Wimborne Branch of the Royal British Legion, Revd Bill French. A wreath was laid by the Poppy Appeal Organiser David Keig, in addition to wreaths laid on Sunday 8th November by the Mayor and Royal British Legion President. Around 100 people observed the 2 minutes' silence on site, social distanced around the Minster Green and in Cook Row and the High Street.

Warmwell's Jill Lawton says:

"So many gave their lives for us: it is so important that we join together to remember and thank them. Covid means we must not get too close, but at Warmwell we gave thanks and stood in the churchyard with the fallen soldiers, our saviours. It was heartwarming to be together and give thanks. Simple prayers and one hymn. Christians do not ask for much, just to help the next generations to follow and feel the warmth of the true Church of England."

Photos below courtesy Hawkchurch, Trent Young's, Durweston, Littlebredy, Fishpond, Portesham, Canalside, Whitchurch, Spetisbury, Weymouth, Shrewton, Forest and Sandridge, and Lyme Regis.