On or around the anniversary of Armistice Day 1918, Harrodians of all ages gathered for different services commemorating those impacted by war and conflict.
On the 107th anniversary of the First World War Armistice 1918, Harrodian remembered those killed in war by means of assemblies for the Pre-Prep, Prep and Senior Schools. Reception pupils made giant poppies for the Pre-Prep Remembrance ceremony in the Theatre while Captain Stewart led a ceremony in the Marquee on 11th November which included the erection of a 'Field Altar' in the Theatre, poetry readings by Senior Boys and Girls and a moving rendition of Ave Maria by Sixth Former, Woody.
As has become the custom at our Senior Remembrance Service, pupils also heard a personal story from a Harrodian whose family history has been impacted by war or military conflict. This year it was the turn of Milo in the 13s, whose Great Grandfather, Arthur Osborne, was a teacher working in Bangkok in 1941 when he was captured by the Japanese. As Milo explained, Arthur endured four years of imprisonment as a POW but thankfully survived the war to live a full life as a teacher in India.
Captain Stewart's moving presentation reminded us that that while Remembrance Day often seems to focus on the 20th Century, armed conflicts continue to cost precious lives of servicemen and civilians right up to the present day.
