Remembrance Sunday 2022

Poppies cast long shadows in the Priory Churchyard on Remembrance Sunday.

Worshippers paid their respects to those who lost their lives or were disabled in conflicts, and civilians, in services at Great Malvern Priory today.

The 8am congregation heard a very moving reflection on the personal impact of war from one of their members at the close of the service.

At 9.30 the Mayor and representatives from the Council and uniformed organisations were accompanied by Malvern Town Band as Rod led the Civic Remembrance Service.

The Priory congregation gathered before the two minutes silence at 11 o’clock, and were led, movingly, in the Act of Remembrance by Honesty Shaw-Young, a former Pathfinder and current Naval Commissioned Officer.

Her words, recorded from her current posting, echoed around the Priory.

’Let us remember before God, and commend to his sure keeping, those who have died for their country in war; those whom we knew and whose memory we treasure; and all who have lived and died in the service of mankind.
They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old; age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.’

’We will remember them’ the congregation responded and a lone bugler sounded the Last Post.

After the silence and Reveille, a young chorister read the Kohima Epitaph

’When you go home, tell them of us, and say ‘For your tomorrow we gave our today.’

Seven members of the congregation laid poppies in the shape of a cross, leading all in prayer.

With thoughts of the war in Ukraine, so close to those hosting refugees, and remembering conflicts in other parts of the world, the congregation shared ‘shalom’, ‘peace’.

’May you have peaceful skies’ Ukraine, 2022.