Remembrance Service

A Remembrance Service was held at St Gregory’s Church on 15th November 2018.

The Church was packed with children, parents, members of the local community and invited guests who played an active part in the service.

Children from the three participating primary schools had learned songs from the WW1 era prior to the event. They sang during the service, which was led by  Fr Maddock from St Gregory’s Church. Community members – Councillor Lesley Owen, Ron Hutchinson (Chair of Mersey Motor Boat Club), Peter O’Donnell (Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service) School Nurses, Ruth Swanson and Ann Matthews, and Gillian Morgan representing Sefton Library Service – read suitable poems and letters from the First World War.  The Maghull Parish Handbell Ringers gave a moving rendition of “In Flanders Fields”.

As the 24 names of the fallen from Lydiate were read out, they were represented by youngsters carrying lit candles, and a bugler, Robbie Swanson, played “The Last Post” and “Reveille”. Representatives from the schools, the council and the Fire Service laid poppy wreaths. It was a fitting tribute to those who had died and fought in the Great War.

As part of our WW1 project in school, we attended St. Gregory’s church for a special service of remembrance. Two other scho0ol, Lydiate Primary and St Thomas’, joined us. Throughout the service, we all sand songs of old and new: some that would have been sung during the war time (Long Way to Tipperary and Pack Up Your Troubles); others that are newer but have meaning. It was special for us to sing the songs that the soldiers would have sung, as it made us think of their travels into war. Brighter Day Tomorrow helped us all to think of what the future might look like for everybody.

Soon after this, we listened to the Bell Ringers, playing a sweet song for all, just with bells! The Bugle welcomed silence, where a role call of the names of those lost from Lydiate were read out. At this time, several children from our three schools carried a candle up the aisle, representing the light of the lives lost.

By the time we had returned to school after this moving occasion, we all felt incredibly grateful that the soldiers had risked such a thing for us.

By Mia, St Gregory’s Catholic Primary School, Lydiate.