Today we held our Remembrance in our courtyard as GBP remembered but before this our children made poppies and we made our own small poppy field - we hope our school community  will notice that some of our children included words of reflection too. 

During our gathering in the courtyard to pay our respects, I said that this special day, the 11^th November is where millions of people across the world stop, reflect and say thank you. I explained why people wear a poppy as a special symbol. The paper poppies we wear on Remembrance Day are meant to represent the real poppies that grew in the battlefields of the First World War. After the battle of Somme in the First World War Soldiers returned to see the trenches covered in bright red poppies. I explained that on Remembrance Day we remember people who have suffered and died in wars and conflicts all over the world as well as thank those that are serving our country and other countries now too.  

I also mentioned people continue to suffer the consequences of fighting and terror in many parts of our world. We will remember with thanks and sorrow those whose lives, in world wars and conflicts past and present, have been given and taken away.

I shared a short reading which is part of a longer poem by Robert Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)

“They shall not grow old as we who 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 shall remember them.”

Our whole school joined in and said:

We will remember them.

I explained that the First World War ended at 11 0’ clock during the morning on 11th November 1918 and this started a tradition of stopping, reflecting and staying silent at this time each year so that we can remember.

We then began our silence signalled by Zac and Lorenzo playing their trumpet followed by a recording of the ‘Last Post’. Our whole school was respectful during this time and the completion of the silence was signalled by the playing of the ‘Reveille’. 

Thank you boys for the part you played and thank you Miss Lyddon for lowering our special Remembrance flag during the minutes silence. 

I want to share with you all that your children were amazingly respectful throughout and we feel proud that we were all joining in something really special.

Our school council will be attending the Basingstoke Remembrance Parade on Sunday with Miss Khan, Mrs Franklin and Ms Rogers where our Chair and Vice Chair of the School Council will lay a wreath from all of the pupils at GBP.