Rupert House community comes together to honour the fallen
Pupils, staff and parents gathered at Rupert House for a moving Act of Remembrance, marking Armistice Day and paying tribute to those who gave their lives in times of war and conflict.
The annual service brought the school community together for a thoughtful morning of readings, music and reflection, highlighting the importance of ensuring that younger generations understand the significance of remembrance.
The service opened with Mr Armitage speaking about the importance of remembering those who have served and sacrificed and who continue to do so for our freedom. He mentioned the visit of one of the parents who is a serving RAF Officer to Assembly on Monday, where he spoke about the important role that he and his colleagues have in keeping the peace and serving communities all over the world and the sacrifices they make in being away from their loved ones, often for extended periods. Head of School, Mollie S, then explained the origins of Remembrance Day, reminding pupils that the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month marks the signing of the Armistice on 11th November 1918, which brought the fighting of the First World War to an end.
Head of School, Arlen M, followed with a reflection on the purpose of the service and the significance of The Last Post. Head of School Amelie B read the poignant poem For the Fallen before Mr Lamb, one of the parents, played The Last Post on the trumpet, signalling the beginning of the two-minute silence at 11am. The school observed the silence together in a powerful moment of reflection, which was brought to a close with a performance of The Reveille, also played by Mr Lamb.
The programme continued with Year 6 pupil Tabitha C introducing In Flanders Fields, which was read by Amelia C.
The school was once again joined by local historian Mike Willoughby, who spoke about the importance of remembrance and the value of passing its history on to future generations. He shared how much he enjoys returning to Rupert House each year and praised the school's continued commitment to educating children about the significance of history and remembrance.
The school then listened to 'Abide with me' which Ottilie L played beautifully and very movingly on her trumpet. The school's oldest and youngest pupils, George W and Louis G, had the honour of laying the first school wreath. Representatives from each year group then followed, laying wreaths they had created as part of their classroom reflections on remembrance. Following this, the Senior Voices choir performed a very moving rendition of 'Fix You'.
Father Jeremy, from St Mary's Church, then brought the service to a close by leading the school in prayer.
Rupert House extended its thanks to Father Jeremy, Mr Lamb and Mike Willoughby for their contributions, as well as to all pupils, parents and staff who helped make the occasion so meaningful.
The service was a fitting reminder of the importance of remembrance, and the role schools play in ensuring that the sacrifices of previous generations are never forgotten.
