Old Carolians commemorate the past pupils of the School that gave their lives in the two World Wars.
Around 30 Old Carolians met in Woodfield Hall on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month to remember all the Old Carolians and pupils of our associated schools that died in two World Wars, the Falklands War, and the Afghanistan War. The service was led by Fr Tim Williams of St John's Church.
Our President, Ken Ryder, read the names of World War I dead; our Junior Vice-President, Dave Laverty, read the names of World War II dead, plus those killed in other conflicts; and a past President, Brian Gittins, recited the famous lines 'They shall not grow old as we who grow old...'. Ken then placed a wreath under the stained glass memorial window.
During the two-minute silence, my mind went back to 1959, when Jim Charlton introduced us to the war poetry of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. I also remembered the World War I memories of Joe Perrett, who had been a stretcher-bearer, in the trenches and also in No Man's Land. That is what English and History teaching is all about, isn't it? Implanting memories in boys that will last a lifetime.
Old Carolians should also thank another past President, Peter Picken, who made all the arrangements.
'Captain' Peter Vaughan, Home Affairs Correspondent