Great Wyrley marked Remembrance Sunday with a service in the memorial garden on the Walsall Road. It was a fantastic turn out, as villagers gathered to join in as we remembered those who have given their lives.
Lead by the British Legion, all the different school, groups, societies charities came to pay their respects and to lay a wreath. Children from local Scouts groups and Browies, carried their flags as they marched through the memorial garden.
Jacob and Oliver from Great Wyrley Academy did the school proud this morning, has Jacob read out the names off the plate of the soldiers from the Great War and his brother Oliver laid a wreath.
Reverend Morris Price – Parish Community Minister, conducted the service as he lead us into hymns and prayers. Remembrance Day is a symbolic act of honour, gratitude, and collective memories, what has been passed on to the next generations. Wreaths – especially those made of poppies, are laid at war memorials to pay respect to members of the armed forces and civilians who lost their lives in conflicts, particularly the First and Second World Wars.
Red poppies first became a symbol for Remembrance Day, as they were amongst the first plants to grow in the churned-up soil of the Western Front (particularly in Flanders). Their sudden appearance amid destruction made them a powerful symbol of both loss and renewal.
The Royal British Legion sold their first poppies in the UK in 1921, funds went to help veterans of World War I. Poppy sales continue today to support veterans, serving members of the armed forces and families affected by service. Over the years since, poppy wreaths have became a central feature of Remembrance Day services.
The Two-Minute Silence began one year after the First World War ended. On the 11 November 1919, King George V requested a national silence, so that everyone, no matter where they were could pause to remember those who had died. The original idea of the two minute silence came from a South African, Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, who suggested: One minute to remember the fallen and One minute to honour the living who served. This silence lets people honour sacrifice, think about loved ones that lost their lives and show respect in a peaceful and shaded way.
The fighting in WWI stopped when the Armistice between the Allies and Germany took effect at 11am, on 11 November 1918
On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month
We Will Remember Them
For your tomorrow, we gave our today