Armed Forces have a credo- 'Our soldiers/sailors/airmen may have fallen but they are not forgotten'. We honour our fallen heroes and pay them tributes year after year.
World War-I was no different. Tens of thousands of soldiers lost their lives. When the War ended in 1919, it was decided to observe a Remembrance Day on 11th November every year. It is also known as the Armistice Day.
This is an exclusive guest story on Remembrance Day-2017 for Ghumakkad's blog. Credits for this story are as follows:
Story: Trixie Asirvatham
permission
Trixie's words:
As Armistice Day marked the end of hostilities of World War-1, the Armed Forces traditionally play an important role in the Remembrance Day service. The army band from the neighbouring Pioneer Corps Training Centre played at the ceremony, officers laid wreaths, officers read out the Bible passages, officers including my husband Rajan took the offertory bags around, and so on.
It was good for sleepy St. John's to wake to the rousing sound of the military band from the PCTC playing percussion, wind and brass instruments, with old favourite battle hymns like Onward Christian Soldiers, Rock of Ages, The Battle Hymn of the Republic - a patriotic marching song, Eternal Father, Strong to Save – a song about God’s protection on the waters, His peace and calm in the midst of raging storm and tempest, Lead Kindly Light - Gandhiji’s favourite hymn, and others.
World War-I was no different. Tens of thousands of soldiers lost their lives. When the War ended in 1919, it was decided to observe a Remembrance Day on 11th November every year. It is also known as the Armistice Day.
This is an exclusive guest story on Remembrance Day-2017 for Ghumakkad's blog. Credits for this story are as follows:
Story: Trixie Asirvatham
Story facts courtesy
Irene Swasbrook, London, and pictures courtesy Reginald Solomon,
Bangalore. Used with permission.
Photo credits: Vijay Alphonse, Bangalore. Used with permission
Photo and video credits: Sam Elisha, Bangalore. Used with Photo credits: Vijay Alphonse, Bangalore. Used with permission
permission
Trixie's words:
On November 19th 2017, we observed
Remembrance Day at our church, St. John’s Church Bangalore, in remembrance
of Armistice Day. At a solemn and
colorful ceremony, led by our Presbyters, Rev G Wilson and Rev V Prabhakar, we honoured all the brave people from
the armed forces who laid down their lives in World War 1 - both British and
Indian forces.
St. John's Church, consecrated in 1858, is named
after St. John the Evangelist. It is the
fourth oldest Protestant Church in Bangalore.
It is a CSI church but was once a garrison church built by the British
army for the use of the troops stationed in Bangalore.
As Armistice Day marked the end of hostilities of World War-1, the Armed Forces traditionally play an important role in the Remembrance Day service. The army band from the neighbouring Pioneer Corps Training Centre played at the ceremony, officers laid wreaths, officers read out the Bible passages, officers including my husband Rajan took the offertory bags around, and so on.
Two veterans from the Indian Navy and Indian Army
and a serving lady doctor from the Indian Air Force laid wreaths at our church
altar. There were candles in three
colors (red, white, purple) to symbolise sacrifice, peace (comes from
protection) and nobility/valour+spirituality) which were then
lighted by the three officers.
It was good for sleepy St. John's to wake to the rousing sound of the military band from the PCTC playing percussion, wind and brass instruments, with old favourite battle hymns like Onward Christian Soldiers, Rock of Ages, The Battle Hymn of the Republic - a patriotic marching song, Eternal Father, Strong to Save – a song about God’s protection on the waters, His peace and calm in the midst of raging storm and tempest, Lead Kindly Light - Gandhiji’s favourite hymn, and others.
We listened to a gripping sermon by a fiery
visiting pastor, Rev. Emmanuel Nehemiah,
who spoke about a borderless peaceful world and a borderless church and
visualised the ideal world as portrayed in the last book of the Bible in
Revelation when the lion would lie down with the lamb and a little child would
lead them.
At the end of the service, a lone bagpiper
played Amazing Grace and led the slow march of the pastors, the
wreath-bearing officers, the band, the choir and the rest of the congregation
in a solemn procession to the Cenotaph (war memorial) outside the church where
there was a short, touching service in memory of those who laid down their
lives in the World War. Some of
their names are engraved on the Cenotaph.
St. John's Church
is the only Indian Church with a war memorial within the church premises. The Cenotaph
is a simple structure with a cross, outside the church building but within
its walls.
Remembrance Day
Wreath Bearers
From left to right: Flt Lt Radhika H. Umale from the Indian Air Force, Cmde P.R. Franklin veteran of
the Indian Navy and Col B.G. Cariappa, veteran
of the Indian Army at St. John's Church, Bangalore.
Each of the three officers bearing wreaths solemnly
slow-marched around the Cenotaph, saluted and laid their wreaths one by one.
There were two retired officers (one was Cmde Franklin, our neighbour) and one
serving lady doctor in Air Force uniform whom many girls from our church
were interested in meeting later!
The band played “Abide with me”, with the congregation joining in. It was a short, moving
service and then the band played the Last Post. I remember this tune so well, resounding in
the hills, from my childhood Dehra Dun days living in an Army cantonment.
After we observed two minutes of respectful
silence, the band played the Rouse. Then
the National Anthem, with everyone standing to attention.
Then the band marched out and we all dispersed.
A personal quest
linked to the Cenotaph
Irene Swasbrook from
UK was happy to hear that people who died in war, like her grandfather whose
name is on the cenotaph, were being regularly honoured every year in a ceremony
on Remembrance Day even to this
day. In June this year she had made a
trip from London to Bangalore in a quest to find the graves of her loved ones
in St. John’s Cemetery, Kalpalli. Here
Irene (3rd from left) is seen with her husband Richard (extreme right), her hostess in Bangalore Mary (2nd from left) and Reginald Solomon (1st from left) of St. John’s Church
who helped her in her search and also to find the etched name of her
grandfather on the Cenotaph in St. John’s church. It is heartwarming to note
the emotional connection that the memorial has for people like Irene whose
forbears are mentioned there.
Irene says: “Harry
Darwin Thorpe is my grandfather – whose name is on the cenotaph in
St. John’s Church - my mother’s father and also the father of Ewart
Fitzgerald Thorpe whose ashes are scattered in the same grave where
David, my brother’s ashes were scattered in July of this
year. My grandmother Lucy Thorpe also attended St. John’s
Church for many many years, right up to the time she passed away. “
While at Kalpalli
Cemetery, Irene also located the graves of her paternal great-grandfather Major
General Robert Griffith Lewis of the Madras Staff Corps and of his wife
Lucy. Irene estimates that Lewis had
come to India in 1854 from Dorking in the county of Surrey, England and probable
date of death was 30th Dec,1888.
Postscript: In fact St John's Church Cemetery at Kalpally Bangalore has been visited by many descendants who come hunting for their ancestors. Readers may browse the story 'Blow a Lament' published in the Business Standard.
_______________________________________________________________________
Hope you enjoyed browsing the story. If it brought you goose bumps, the fallen heroes would have blessed you.
Thanks Trixie for all the inputs and for your superb story.
War Memorials exist in major military formations and stations where wreaths are laid by visiting dignitaries. Wreaths are also laid on the Raising Day of a Unit. India Gate in Delhi is one such memorial where wreaths are laid by the Prime Minister of India on Republic Day (26th January) and by the three Service Chiefs on Army Day (15th January), Navy Day (4th December), Air Force Day (8th October) and Vijay Diwas (15th December) every year. Ghumakkad had visited Belgaum recently which has a Hall of Valour honouring its brave soldiers.
We end with a quote from one of the young fallen officers Capt Vikram Batra who was awarded Param Vir Chakra posthumously, the highest gallantry award during war time in India.
Thanks for browsing. Your feedback is welcome, as always.
- Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 19th Dec 2017
Postscript: In fact St John's Church Cemetery at Kalpally Bangalore has been visited by many descendants who come hunting for their ancestors. Readers may browse the story 'Blow a Lament' published in the Business Standard.
_______________________________________________________________________
Hope you enjoyed browsing the story. If it brought you goose bumps, the fallen heroes would have blessed you.
Thanks Trixie for all the inputs and for your superb story.
War Memorials exist in major military formations and stations where wreaths are laid by visiting dignitaries. Wreaths are also laid on the Raising Day of a Unit. India Gate in Delhi is one such memorial where wreaths are laid by the Prime Minister of India on Republic Day (26th January) and by the three Service Chiefs on Army Day (15th January), Navy Day (4th December), Air Force Day (8th October) and Vijay Diwas (15th December) every year. Ghumakkad had visited Belgaum recently which has a Hall of Valour honouring its brave soldiers.
We end with a quote from one of the young fallen officers Capt Vikram Batra who was awarded Param Vir Chakra posthumously, the highest gallantry award during war time in India.
Thanks for browsing. Your feedback is welcome, as always.
- Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 19th Dec 2017
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