Remembrance Day 2009

Sadly, the last three known surviving Service veterans of World War I who were resident in the UK all died within a few months of each other earlier this year so there will be a National Memorial Service in Westminster Abbey on Wednesday 11 November and we will be marking this with our own gesture of respect by holding a two minute silence on that day immediately before Break time.

Extract from a letter sent to all schools by Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, The Prime Minister:

"World War I was one of the defining events of the 20th century. Its impact was felt across the world and across generations. It was the first war on a scale from which few, if any, families in the UK emerged untouched in some way. It was the first one in which a conscripted "citizens army" participated. The nation changed as a result of that war. The final passing of the last of the active participants is a significant milestone in our history.

Some years ago the Government announced its plans to commemorate the passing of the World War I generation. These centred on a National Memorial Service in Westminster Abbey to commemorate not the death of any single individual - something that the veterans themselves indicated they would not welcome - but the passing of the whole generation that participated in that War. This will not only recognise the service and sacrifice of Armed Forces personnel but also mark the wider contribution of people, civilian and military, across the British Empire to a war that brought such suffering and elicited such extraordinary sacrifices.

A date has now been set for the National Memorial Service which will take place this year on Wednesday 11 November and will receive extensive coverage on national television to ensure that people across the country, young and old, will be able to share in the experience."

A new website from the Imperial War museum is under construction to commemorate this and you can find out more by clicking on http://www.passingofthegeneration.org.uk/