A weekend of remembrance

The poppies decorating Shire Hall's gates were created and donated to Bodmin Town Council by Bridget Walters and also intoBodmin's Knit and Natter Group.

The Armistice Service took place outside Shire Hall on Friday 11th November.

As part of a collaborative venture between Warm Spaces, St. Petroc’s Church and Bodmin Way Community Courses, Bodmin Keep joined the Warm Space at St. Petroc’s Parish Centre with mountains of materials to make poppies, on the Saturday in between Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.

Leah Mason, Learning Manager at Bodmin Keep, showed us what’s inside the museum’s World War One collect box. It includes artwork produced by combatants in the trenches. The tall bronze artefact is an artillery shell that one soldier transformed into a vase, expressing how something ugly can be turned into something beautiful.

Other soldiers embroidered cards to send home to loved ones. Artwork was encouraged as part of the recovery process and to help men focus on something positive during their horrendous ordeal in the trenches.

A young girl was invited to open a gold coloured tin and the Christmas card inside it. The tin was saved from the Great War and only the packets of tobacco have been replaced. Princess Mary was determined to give every soldier a tin box for Christmas and when she couldn’t foot the bill, a huge fundraising initiative raised the necessary funds.

By Saturday afternoon, St. Petroc’s Church was ready for the Remembrance Sunday service.

On Saturday evening Bodmin Way Youth Club focussed on Remembrance.

On Remembrance Sunday, 13th November, a ceremony took place around The Memorial at Bodmin Keep.

This was followed by a service at the War Memorial in Priory Park.

The Mayoral Party led the procession to St. Petroc’s Church.

A memorial remembering seven young Bodmin Boy Scouts, who joined up to fight in WW1, is honoured with a wreath. The brass plaque, next to the altar, records this event and the names of the Scouts.

Booklets and cards were available to take home and reflect further on the significance of Remembrance Sunday.

The service was led by Rev'd Paul Holley, Team Rector of the Bodmin Team Ministry and the Rt Rev'd Hugh Nelson, Bishop of St. German's and Bishop to the Armed Forces.

The live-stream of the service is available at

https://www.facebook.com/100064277186487/videos/987396809319622 (starting at 22:38.)

We will remember them.