The annual Act of Remembrance was held on Remembrance Sunday, November 10, at 11.30am, at the Anvil Corner Memorial to the six young airmen from England, Australia & Canada who died when their aircraft crashed in a nearby field during World War II.
It was a moving experience for those who attended – who were almost 40 in number – and the words seemed particularly poignant in light of current conflicts going on in the world. It was lovely to see that so many people did turn out once again, many of whom now make this an annual event in their calendars as well as others who attended this year for the first time.
The chairman of the parish council, Cllr Andy Walker, welcomed everyone to the event. The service was sensitively led by Rev Alison Hardy. Members of the parish council read the names, ages and units of each of the six fallen airmen, followed by traditional passages and a poem.
Cllr Walker laid a wreath onto the memorial on behalf of Holsworthy Hamlets Parish Council and the residents of Staddon Road. This was followed by the placement of six wooden crosses onto the Memorial, one for each of the young airmen who lost their lives, by six people who were attending the service. A handmade model of a Halifax Bomber, the type of plane which crashed was also laid on the Memorial.
The participants and congregation used the laminated service sheets which were designed previously by Arleen Gould, who had also planted the lovely floral display. The Last Post was sounded, followed by the traditional observation of two minutes silence, before the Reveille.