St Bart’s Remembers

As the sun shone on a beautiful Monday morning, St Bartholomew’s School gathered in the hub in our Act of Remembrance of former students who gave their lives in the World Wars and of all those soldiers and civilians killed or affected by war and conflict across the world.

Headteacher, Dr Fitter, spoke to the assembled students about how “It is easy and perhaps convenient to allow these terrible numbers to wash over us, but remember that each single life lost was someone’s child, parent, loved one and the cost of human suffering and bereavement is incalculable”.

Following Dr Fitter’s speech, our Head Students read the traditional Roll of Honour – the names of those 101 St Bart’s students who perished in war. A bugle call by Lawrence Mullaly (Year 13 student) was heard, and then the whole school reflected during the two-minute silence.

School Officers (Emily Cox and Charlie Adams representing Curnock, Sophie Livingstone and Clementine Barry representing Davis, Tess Marston and Beth Sparks representing Evers, Lucy Bosley and Vaibavi Lakshmi Narayanan representing Patterson) laid wreaths in the Memorial Garden where the flag was flying at half-mast. They were joined by Contingent Commander Edwards and members of the Combined Cadet Force, symbols of those young people who found themselves wearing uniform – Colour Sergeant Daniel Cornall, recently awarded Master Cadet at Frimley Park, and Sergeant Will Bloxom, most senior Cadet leading the Army NCOs (non-commissioned officers).

Mr Robbins, Deputy Headteacher, concluded the service with a poem called ‘May 1915’ by Charlotte Mew (1869-1928).

 

Let us remember Spring will come again

To the scorched, blackened woods, where the wounded trees

Wait, with their old wise patience for the heavenly rain,

Sure of the sky: sure of the sea to send its healing breeze,

Sure of the sun. And even as to these

Surely the Spring, when God shall please,

Will come again like a divine surprise

To those who sit to-day with their great Dead, hands in their hands,

Eyes in their eyes

At one with Love, at one with Grief: blind to the scattered things

And changing skies.

Last month, Year 9 students and staff travelled to Northern France and Belgium to visit the Menin Gate in Ypres, where George Ashwin Curnock is commemorated. The group also visited the grave of Robert Arthur Patterson near Athies and attended Thiepval Memorial, where Bertram Saxelbye Evers’ name is engraved, alongside the memorial plaque that reads: ‘This plaque commemorates those soldiers who attended St Bartholomew’s School, Newbury. They are named individually in pride of place at our school. They gave their lives in the First World War and their sacrifice will be remembered by us all.’

This year, moved by her experiences on the Battlefields Trip, Davis House Manager, Ms Moore decided to organise a similar commemoration to Alexander Herbert Davis. Ms Moore was joined by Dr Fitter, the rest of the Davis House Team, cadets Will Bloxsom, Milla Brereton and Daniel Cornall, and Davis students, Sophie Livingstone, Matilda Roots (13D2) and Blake Thomson (Year 9) at Newtown Road Cemetery to lay a wreath on the grave of Alexander Herbert Davis, which is situated just 400m from the school.

Blake, who recently attended the Year 9 trip and bringing to mind many of the traditions our school still observe today, said: “Alexander Herbert Davis attended St. Bart’s in 1898. He was a keen sports man and a particularly excellent footballer. He was frequently in the Fives inter-house and school championship.”

The school intends that this wreath laying will become part of our annual traditions to mark Armistice Day.

We would also like to extend our gratitude to former ONA President (2001), Allan Mercado, who laid the St Bart’s wreath at the annual Remembrance Ceremony held outside Newbury Town Hall on Sunday 10 November.