Mayor pays tribute to

THE Mayor of Henley paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II as hundreds of people gathered for the town’s first Remembrance Sunday service since the monarch’s death.

Councillor Michelle Thomas addressed the crowd from a microphone on the steps of the town hall as she spoke about the Queen’s role as a mechanic in the Second World War and her position as patron of the Poppy Appeal.

She said: “The Queen’s contribution to the war effort is well-documented. At the age of 19, Princess Elizabeth, along with thousands of women, joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service.

“She trained as a driver and mechanic with the rank of second subaltern. Five months later, she was promoted to junior commander, which is the equivalent of captain.

“Our former Queen became patron of the Poppy Appeal 70 years ago in 1952. A steadfast presence at the national service of remembrance held at the Cenotaph every year, she only ever missed seven Remembrance Sunday events.”

The Mayor then spoke of the role Charles III would play as he led his first remembrance as monarch.

She said: “His Majesty’s poppy wreath this year will be unique as he remembers the contribution of his mother and grandfather.”

The Mayor spoke to a crowd that had gathered in Market Place up to an hour before the service on a mild, overcast morning.

The noise of conversation was interspersed with a recording played over a loudspeaker of pupils from Gillotts School reading the names and ages of those who had died in the First World War.

“Edward Horton, 19, Walter Miller, 27, John Thomas Jefferey, 29,” came the names, each one read by a different pupil.

The tape has been used for the service since 2014 following the Lest We Forget project led by Mike Willoughby who identified more than 100 servicemen lost in the Great War who were not listed on the memorial outside the town hall.

Soon Market Place was thronged with people with some children sitting on their parents’ shoulders for a better view of the ceremony.

People gathered by the entrance to Greys Road car park parted as the Henley army cadets led a procession to the town hall followed by sea and royal marine cadets, beavers, cubs, scouts, brownies, guides and members of the Henley and Peppard branch of the Royal British Legion, all led by their standard bearers, as well as representatives of Thames Valley Police and Henley fire service.

The groups took their positions around Falaise Square while four navy cadets stood an arm’s length apart in front of the town hall steps.

The choir from St Mary’s Church in Hart Street then made their way through the crowd led by a cross bearer and stood at the side of the steps.

As the clock neared 11am, the sun broke through the clouds and illuminated Market Place as the Mayor’s party came out of the town hall led by town sergeant James Churchill-Coleman carrying the ceremonial mace, Lady Hall, Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Cllr Thomas dressed in the Mayor’s ceremonial robes and the Mayor’s cadet Pati Gwiazda.

They joined other town councillors and Henley MP John Howell at the side of the steps.

Rev Jeremy Tayler, the rector of Henley with Remenham, began the service by reading from a podium at the top of the steps.

He said: “My brothers and sisters, today we gather, as we do each year, to pray for peace in the world God made, peace for which so many have already laid down their lives and for which so many continue to die, day by day.

“And we remember them before God with grief and pride and thanksgiving. We pray for all who suffer still because of war and terrorism and we ask for God’s help and blessing for ourselves that we may do his will and that the whole world may acknowledge him as Lord and King.

“So now let us remember before God our Father, and commend to his love and sure keeping, the souls of those who have died for their country in war, those whom we knew and those whose memory we treasure, and all who have lived and died through the ages in the service of their fellow men and women.”

Anne Evans, who chairs the Henley and Peppard branch of the Royal British Legion, then read from the poem For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon.

The Last Post was sounded by Gregor Spowart, of the Woodley Concert Band, on the cornet to mark the start of the two-minute silence. The bearers lowered the standards as the crowd fell silent to honour those who gave their lives before the silence ended with Mr Spowart playing Reveille.

Mrs Evans then read the Kohima Epitaph: “When you go home, tell them of us and say for your tomorrow we gave our today.”

Rev Tayler led the crowd in singing Jerusalem with some people sharing song sheets while others knew the words by heart.

This was followed by a Bible passage read by town clerk Sheridan Jacklin-Edward.

Cllr Thomas revealed she had spoken to war veterans to inform her speech, which she described as the “most difficult to write and the hardest to say” of her mayoral term.

She said: “I didn’t feel I could faithfully address you all without hearing testimony from those who have served and those who have
survived.”

She thanked 102-year-old Henley resident Dick Charlton for telling her about his service at the battle of Cassel, France, in 1940 and subsequent internment as a prisoner of war.

Mr Charlton was at the front of the crowd in a wheelchair with a blanket over his knees with other elderly people and veterans.

The Mayor also thanked Mark Haynes, who served with the Royal Air Force detachment at Muharraq Airfield in Bahrain during the liberation of Kuwait in 1991.

She said: “It is obvious that every time you tell your personal stories, and share them with us, you are reliving and remembering all you went through. I am forever grateful.”

Cllr Thomas then paid tribute to the men lost in the world wars.

She said: “The names memorialised on these walls are of those civilian soldiers, airmen and seamen. They left their families, their friends and their jobs to take up arms.

“From the First World War, we know that two-thirds of those who lost their lives never had a chance to live long enough to have a family of their own. As we lose the veterans of the Second World War, recording their stories seems more urgent than ever.”

The Mayor also paid tribute to those who fought in the Falklands War 40 years ago.

She said her abiding takeaway from her conversations with Mr Charlton and Mr Haynes was of the “utter futility of war”, pointing to the current Russian invasion of Ukraine. Cllr Thomas said: “The constant moving of lines, moving forward, retreating, digging in, advancing again, and now we witness the same being repeated as we receive continual news of the retaking of territory, such as the happy liberation of Kherson yesterday.

“It is estimated 200,000 military personnel have been lost on both sides in this war with the civilian toll yet to be counted.

“Thank you to all residents who have opened your homes and schools to refugees from Ukraine and to those who continue to work to secure their everyday needs.”

The crowd then sang the hymn I Vow To Thee My Country before a bible reading by the Mayor’s cadet.

Rev Tayler led the crowd in the Act of Commitment and the Lord’s Prayer before many lowered their hats for a rendition of the National Anthem.

Lady Hall then stepped forward to lay the first wreath at the steps of the town hall followed by the Mayor and Mr Howell.

Others then followed suit, with many pausing for a moment of reflection after doing so.

Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak lowered his hat and held it at his side after laying a wreath on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council.

He was followed by Councillor Kellie Hinton, on behalf of South Oxfordshire District Council, and John Green, president of the Henley and Peppard branch of the Legion.

Wreaths were laid in pairs by representatives of 27 groups and organisations across Henley, including the cadets, the 4th Battalion Oxon and Bucks Infantry, Henley Fire Service, Thames Valley Police, South Central Ambulance Service and St John Ambulance, guides, brownies, scouts, cubs, beavers, Henley Lions, Henley Rotary Club, the RNLI, Henley Bowls Club, the Henley Society, Wootton Manor and St Andrew’s Community, Henley Trains, Phyllis Court Club, Henley WI, Rupert House School, St Mary’s School, Henley Freemasons, Henley Quakers and the Henley Herald.

The service ended with the procession resuming and marching around Market Place to the applause of the crowd back to the car park.

After the service, the Mayor invited the public into the town hall for refreshments.

As the crowd dispersed, a queue formed of people wanting to shake hands with Mr Charlton to thank him for his service.