Faith in the Community: Our poppy displays aim to honour their sacrifices

Church will be open on November 7th and 8th, from 11am-4pm on the Saturday and 1pm-4pm on the Sunday, with a display of poppies and an exhibition of stories about the human side of Remembrance.

WE have reached that time of the year when we remember those who have died to protect our freedom and way of life. Remembrance Day is not just a time when we recall those who died in the First and Second World Wars, but also those who have died in conflicts since then. It’s important that we pause to recall the sacrifices they made for our benefit. And the symbol that we choose to use is the poppy, which traditionally was the only flower that grew in the muddy trenches of northern France and Belgium during the First World War. At St Mary’s Church, Warsash, we are planning our own magnificent display of poppies to help people to remember. We’ll have the church open on November 7th and 8th, from 11am-4pm on the Saturday and 1pm-4pm on the Sunday. We’re currently busy creating those poppies, out of wool and textiles, some of which have been made by the women who meet regularly in church to do craft. They will be displayed all around the church for people to see. We will also be showing an exhibition of stories, which includes an inspiring medic from the First World War, a victim of the Nazi regime, and some of the youngest boys who went to war. It all helps us to recall the human stories behind the Remembrance commemorations. There is even a map showing the journey of a 17-year-old, George Drwiega who left home somewhere in eastern Europe, and spent time in France before making his way to Gibraltar – and then went to the UK in time for the D-Day invasion. It is an incomplete story, like so many, but a journey that was made mainly on foot and in the dark. Among those who will be joining us in church on those two days are the Warsash Veterans Group, Mothers’ Union and the Warsash Heritage Society. We will be serving teas on the Saturday afternoon, and inviting visitors to light candles on Sunday afternoon to remember their loved ones. On November 11 – Remembrance Day itself – we’ll be welcoming pupils from Hook-with-Warsash CofE Primary School into the church, so they can discover more about what Remembrance means. You are welcome to join us on Saturday and Sunday for as long or a short a time as you like. Entry is free, and we’ll have people in church to welcome you and explain more.