The Debenham Legion-Air Vol. 3 Issue 1 - September 2018
Where we Air our Views and Share our News
Hello Members of Debenham & District Branch of RBL,
It’s about a year since I last issued a ‘Debenham Legion-Air’, believing there’s no point writing an edition if there’s nothing to report! However, as we approach November once again there are things to report, three things in fact worth telling you about.
Firstly, we will organise the usual November 11th Parade and Service at St Mary’s Church War Memorial where we renew our beliefs in ‘Remembrance’ and its importance from the viewpoint of honouring all those who fought and died in all wars over the centuries, but more especially by honouring the names on our War Memorial, of those much closer to home – those who made the ultimate sacrifice in both World Wars from this village of Debenham.
Suffolk County RBL have made a special issue of ‘Remembrance’, as they fear that so long as we maintain our fragile peace, with no outbreaks of major hostilities, good though that is, the need to remember seems to grow dim throughout the land, one indicator of which is the dramatic falling of numbers belonging to RBL, with Branches closing too often. These concerns are exacerbated by our younger generations being treated to war films on cinema and TV screens, usually showing acts of valour and glamorising the whole notion of war, with death being by-passed as something not worthy of consideration and in some instances worthy only of glorification.
RBL then wants us to do all we can to ensure that those generations are also reminded of the utter futility of war and the misery the resulting deaths and injuries bring to families and friends worldwide. We go some way to providing that education for the young by enjoying the company of so many young people from our uniformed youth groups in the village, as they parade, some with their own Standards proudly displayed, at the start of each year’s 11th November commemoration. More on that topic of involving young people later in this edition. The Service this year will follow broadly that of previous years, but every year I have been concerned with the amount of activity we pack in prior to 11.00am, making it almost impossible to accurately judge a timely approach to the hour, usually meaning an unreasonably lengthy pause at that point. I’ve studied others and notably that which takes place in Ipswich, within our main County Service at Christchurch Park’s ‘Cenotaph’, so I will try to model ours on theirs and hopefully solve the 11.00am time problem!
Hoping then to see as many of you there as possible again this year. We might have one big problem this year though as it is a struggle to find a bugler for ‘The Last Post’ and ‘Reveille’, especially this year as so many extra ceremonies are being organised to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ending of WW1. We are hoping then to not have to resort to an ‘electronic’ solution, but circumstances could force that upon us. If anybody reading this can help resolve that problem we would be most grateful?
Coming back then to the subject of involving young people in ‘Remembrance’, in order that they will carry forward that need when we are all gone and it’s down to them to ensure its survival, a very special ‘Act of Remembrance’ is being organised by RBL County Committee to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ending of WW1, that will take place on Thursday 8th November at 11.00am, simultaneously, at every ‘Commonwealth War Graves Commission’ (CWGC) grave across the county. There are in fact over 1,300 such graves in 248 cemeteries, including one in our own cemetery in Aspall Road of Private Basil Eade, who is of course one of the names on our War Memorial.
In summary then, we will hold that ceremony at 11.00am that day that will include the laying of a wreath and a ‘poppy cross’, together with a ‘grave marker’ so that the importance of this grave might represent those of all the brave soldiers who fell in that conflict, many of whom were buried where they fell or were consumed in a sea of mud. Only those that made it back to the UK, often mortally wounded, are buried here, having succumbed to their wounds.
As Chairman of the Debenham & District Branch of the RBL I have been approached by the organiser and accepted responsibility for the commemorations at seven cemeteries – those being Debenham, Framsden, Helmingham, Monk Soham, Wetheringsett, Little Stonham (Stonham Parva) and Stonham Aspal, all of which have one CWGC grave, except for Wetheringsett, that has two. I can of course be in one place only at 11.00am on Thursday 8th November 2018 and as a resident of Debenham believe it is my place to head up the Commemoration there on behalf of the RBL Debenham Branch, so I have been seeking to delegate this duty to others in those other six parishes and have contacted their Parish Councils, Primary Schools and Churches to seek that support. I now have in place in each of those Parishes responsible persons who will oversee the ceremonies there.
Here in Debenham, the Church will be represented by the Revd. Penny Wilkes and the Primary School by Class 6, headed by Mr James Mansell. I am expecting the Chairman of Debenham P.C. to place the wreath and children from Class 6 to place the Poppy Cross and the Grave Marker.
So this year, you will not only be welcome at our Services both at the Memorial and in the Church on Sunday 11th November, but also in the Cemetery on Thursday 8th November, at the ceremony described above, at 10.50am in preparation for 11.00am.
You will know, I think, that we have faced the difficulty during the last year or two of being without a Secretary, but am pleased to be able to tell you that we now have a Secretary, able to lift the burden of producing agendas and minutes for our committee meetings and she is Sue Haddon, who has been a friend for many years. I’m mentioning this as Sue lives very close to ’Coopersfield’ and the cemetery, and has kindly offered to provide a shoulder to lean on or an elbow to grip if deciding to take the walk up to the cemetery on Thursday 8th November. Please let me know if in need or ring Sue on 01728 861236.
Finally then – I think I’ve mentioned before, the intention to produce a book that will bring to life the names on our War Memorial and to provide copies free of charge to all the children in our local schools – another attempt to engage the young with ‘Remembrance’. I was taken by surprise when the colleague that had conducted the research that would make this book possible, told me that she didn’t believe this would enthuse the younger generations in the way that I believed, neither did she believe the funds could be raised in the way described, so it was now her intention to publish the book herself in November and to then sell copies to the public in order to recover the costs of research and publication, but that no personal gain was intended, as any profit that resulted would be donated to the RBL.
It remains my intention though to raise the funding that will enable purchase of sufficient copies to supply, not just Debenham High School and Debenham Primary School, but also the other six feeder Primaries into Debenham High School. To do this I will need about 1,500 copies in total.
Clearly, it would be inappropriate for me to want to do this at the same time as the initial launch/sales takes place, as to do so might frustrate sales and anyway I now have insufficient time to do this by November. I have been promised by the author, a special price for those I need to buy and presumably that price will leave a margin that becomes the promised donation to Suffolk RBL, so if I can raise the money, then it’s a win-win situation for the school children and Suffolk RBL. It is my intention then to start this fund-raising bid at the beginning of 2019 and complete the intentions once sufficient funds have been raised.
That’s it for the moment then, so hoping to see as many of you as possible on both Thursday 8th November and Sunday 11th November!
