Remembrance Day 2018

As mentioned in last week’s Armistice post, Jo and I were successful in the Heritage Lottery Fund ballot for places to attend the National Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armistice, on the evening of 11 November. Sue Tallentire, one of our volunteers was also in London that weekend, having won a place in the People’s Parade, past the Cenotaph, that took place earlier in the day. Here, she describes her weekend.

I was lucky enough to have an email saying we had places in the People’s Procession on Sunday 11th November. I wanted to do this for my paternal grandfather. I proudly wore a First World War Army Cyclist Corps badge. My Dad was a Bevin Boy so I also wore the Association Badge. I have since learnt from the Ministry of Defence that he went into the Royal Artillery, but was too late to find a badge to wear.

Torches in the moat of the Tower of London, (photo Victoria Oxberry)

As I write this, we have just come back from an amazing weekend in London. Friday 9th November we made our way to The Tower to see the Lights in the moat and what a wonderful sight. 

Saturday we went to the Albert Hall afternoon service and I found it very emotional. We were asked to stand and hold photos of the dead. Having done work for Durham at War diaries etc. I felt as if I knew these soldiers. 

Sunday 11th we were up and out early, waiting a few hours before we started to march. What an honour and a privilege. One of the most moving times was when the veterans had marched and were returning as we all waited, we clapped and cheered them. Very touching. 

Unfortunately the BBC coverage stopped as we reached Admiralty Arch and turned down Whitehall. All our family and friends never got to see us. 

We completed our weekend and visited the Shrouds of the Somme. Another emotional experience and spoke to the artist who had created them. 

Altogether a whole weekend’s experience I will never forget. All this starts from my volunteer work on the First World War and transcribing diaries.

Victoria's Weekend

On the Saturday night, I was staying with a friend about 15 minutes’ walk from the Tower of London and also saw the torches lit up in the moat. I decided that I would return to the Tower for 11am the next day, avoiding the crowds at the Cenotaph. 

On Sunday morning, down at the Tower, I stood by the Thames, and the wind blew the strains of The Last Post across the water from HMS Belfast. Until that point, it had been a cloudy and drizzly day, but at 11am, the wind got up and blew the clouds along, and the sun shone brightly in a blue sky. It was strange walking back, thinking that from that moment, 100 years ago – as I have so often written of on the blog – the fighting was over. 

Later that afternoon, it was time to get ready for the service at Westminster Abbey. As you can imagine for an event attended by the whole Royal Family, the Prime Minister Theresa May, and the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, there was strict security. The security checks were to begin at 4:30pm, closing at 5:30pm to ensure guests were seated before the arrival of the dignitaries. Jo and I were staying right by the Abbey so met to leave at 4:30pm, only to find the end of the queue was several streets away. We managed to bump into the people attending from the North East War Memorials Project, and I saw an old manager of mine from when I worked at a different archives.

Westminster Abbey after the service (photo Victoria Oxberry)

After passing though security, and being welcomed into the Abbey, it was a bit haphazard finding where to sit. We were told to head one way, and then someone else took us back, which you can actually see in the very first interior shots of the BBC coverage of the service. We were right the first time though, and found seats at the back row, in the upper half of the nave. 

Much of the service took place inside the choir, sanctuary, and high altar, which wasn’t visible from the nave, even if you were sat on the front row. There were screens mounted onto the columns which showed when someone was doing a reading. The choice of words were very interesting, in particular the address by Archbishop Justin Welby (and former Bishop of Durham), who spoke about the political events in the aftermath that led to the Second World War. The music came from the organist, the wonderful choir, and the magnificent Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment.

The order of service and commemorative book

Whilst it was undoubtedly an honour to attend the service, now that I have been able to watch it on the television, I have a greater sense of the occasion. 

The anniversary of the Armistice may now have passed, but the Durham at War project will continue for a little while longer yet. The fighting might have been over, but there was still much to be done.