Dean Close Remembers 2025

As has been recent tradition, the school held this year’s Remembrance Service on Armistice Day, Tuesday 11th November. The CCF Colour Party led the beginning of the service with the Union and School flags and wreaths for each of the Services — the Royal Navy, Army, and RAF. Further to these, a wreath from the pupils and one from the staff were also laid as names of the fallen were read out. They were:

LT D Chapman, WO2 H Green, CSjt N Poltavetz, CSjt E Martin, CSjt P Legge (SSI), Sjt E Davies, Sjt K Luke, Sjt J Schofield, M Omajuwa Oteri (Head of School).

The Revd J. A. Harding CF, Staff Chaplain and Military Assistant to the Chaplain General of HM Land Forces, spoke engagingly during the service about service and sacrifice, highlighting a number of ODs who had served meritoriously as well as sharing several personal anecdotes from his own service in theatres such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

The anthems “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men” by Ralph Vaughan Williams and “Benedictus” by Karl Jenkins were delivered faultlessly by the choir, assisted by Dejan Radanovic on strings. The solemnity of the occasion was marked well by all present.

This is always a memorable event at school, and one that felt very special this year as we remembered the 80th anniversary of VE and VJ Days as well as more recent hostilities.

 

Capt DD Evans OC CCF