After two COVID-enforced years of virtual acts of remembrance, this morning the whole school community gathered in the Memorial Hall from 10.40am onwards to mark the National Act of Remembrance at 11am.

Physically gathering in the Memorial Hall feels especially powerful. We are surrounded by the names of Old Brutonians who fought and died in the Great War of 1914-18, the Second World War, the Korean War, and the War in Afghanistan. Their details of service and sacrifice are carved into the wooden panelling. Our Act of Remembrance took the form of saying some set prayers for remembrance, reciting the famous words of Binyon, hearing a pupil play The Last Post and Reveille, holding a two-minute silence, and closing in prayer. Pausing to reflect, remember, and express our gratitude for the freedoms and rights these men fought for is truly important - I was impressed by the School’s attitude to doing so.

Rev’d George Beverly - Chaplain