The act of Remembrance must aim to be much more than the pinning on of a poppy. Victoria Benn talks to schools and churches in our community who are finding ways of giving Remembrance Day an engaging realism

Remembrance Day was officially recognised and assigned as a special day to honour and remember those who fell in the First World War, by King George V in 1919.

Nearly 100 years have passed, as have numerous other conflicts and wars. Tragically British troops have been lost in military conflict virtually every single year since the Second World War, which makes Remembrance Day surely even more important than ever.

Alex Bentley, chairman of the Royal British Legion branch in Skipton, who served for 28 years as a soldier in the Royal Marines, said: “Without educating the children, the full significance of Remembrance Day will stop at the end of this generation.

“It is crucial that schools and churches find ways to get children involved, to help them thoroughly understand the true consequences of war.”

He added: “The British Legion can come in and support schools at any time of the year with Remembrance related work.”

The key word is of course ‘involvement’. Anyone who has read Parade’s End by Ford Maddox Ford, or The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, or seen a film like Schindler’s List, will understand the power of a story to engage and involve. A well written story communicates not only facts, but complex emotional truths.

There is a small team of people at St Wilfrid’s Church in Burnsall who have been using the power of story and biography to augment their Remembrance Service for the last six years.

“It started just by chance” explains Ed Williams, one of the organisers of the Civic ‘Act of Remembrance’. “St Wilfrid’s church was closed for re-roofing, so we asked if we could hold an ‘Act of Remembrance’ at the cenotaph in the churchyard.

“By chance we received a letter about Irvin Newbould, one of the soldiers who fell in the First World War, whose name is inscribed on the cenotaph.

“The letter was very compelling. It came from someone who had served in the war with Irvin, who had lots of memories about their time together, and a great sadness that only one of them had returned.

“We read the letter out as part of the service, and as you can imagine, it was incredibly moving. We then decided to develop the idea, and take the name of one soldier from the cenotaph and research and share their biography each year.

“Obviously, where possible, we contact the surviving family and involve them in the service too.”

The following year John Irving Hargraves was commemorated. ‘Jack’ as he was known, joined the 7th Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment in November 1917 at the age of 18. Sadly, in October the following year, Jack and his comrades were sheltering in a barn near Arras in Northern France when there was a gas attack.

The attack subsequently led to Jack’s death in a French hospital, just four days after Armistice was declared.

What makes the reminiscence of Jack particularly special, is that he has lots of family still living in and around Burnsall.

Indeed his great great niece and nephew, Carys and Seamus Bullough attend Burnsall Primary School, and so will be honouring him as part of the school’s Remembrance Day service held at the cenotaph at St Wilfrid’s on Monday, November 11th.

The soldier to be commemorated at this year’s ‘Act of Remembrance’, which will be held after the holy communion service on Sunday, November 10th, is Private George Binns, originally from Burnsall, who enlisted into the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment in 1914.

Aireville School, under the guidance of their Head of Humanities, Dr Bill Smith, have taken the concept of exploring and sharing real stories one step further, with the development of their highly acclaimed Promenade Play, ‘Tunstill’s Men’.

Gilbert Tunstill, a local business man from Settle recruited 100 volunteers to join the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment in September 1914, in response to Kitchener’s appeal. The play traces the lives of Gilbert Tunstill and several of the men he recruited throughout the years of the war.

Students at the school gained an immense insight and understanding of the young volunteers since they not only researched the lives of these men, but also helped to write the script, and perform in the play.

Dr Smith undertook to research the family lines of ‘Tunstill’s Men’, and was able to make contact with current family members whom he invited to the first performance of the play, which was held at the school in July 2012. “It was a profoundly emotional experience for the students and the visitors, as moments of history were re-enacted to those with family and emotional links to the time.” revealed Dr Smith.

By invitation of the Craven Museum, there will be an opportunity to watch the play again as part of Skipton’s First World War Centenary commemorations next year.

Actively participating within Remembrance commemorations starts with the purchase of a poppy.

This symbolic act of support also raises vital funds to ensure that the memory of those who have given their lives for our freedom is safeguarded. Furthermore, money from poppy sales supports serving members of the Armed Forces as well as ex-Service men, women and their families.

Help for Heroes is another charity who offer a similar life-line, though with a greater focus on practical support for those wounded in conflict.

“There are many Remembrance Services taking place throughout Craven on November 10th and 11th, to which everyone including children are most welcome,” emphasises Alex Bentley. “We owe these people a debt. They’ve paid the ultimate price and died for their country. We must show respect to their families and show that we have not forgotten them.”