Local services taking place on Remembrance Sunday

SERVICES of remembrance will be held in Henley and the surrounding area on Sunday as follows:

HENLEY

THERE will be the usual service outside the town hall at 11am which will be led by Rev Jeremy Tayler, the rector of Henley with Remenham.

The Last Post will be sounded before a two-minute silence and then Reveille.

Anne Evans, chairman of the Henley and Peppard branch of the Royal British Legion, will read the Kohima Epitaph and then the hymn Jerusalem will be sung.

Town clerk Sheridan Jacklin-Edward will give a Bible reading before prayers.

Mayor Michelle Thomas will then give her address.

This will be followed by the hymn I Vow to Thee My Country, a Bible reading by the Mayor’s cadet Cpl Pati Gwiazda, the act of commitment, the Lord’s Prayer and the National Anthem.

Wreaths will be laid on the town hall steps by Lady Hall, deputy lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Cllr Thomas, Henley MP John Howell, Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak, on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council, and Councillor Kellie Hinton, on behalf of South Oxfordshire District Council, and Mrs Evans. Wreaths from other groups, including the army, sea and air cadets, Henley Women’s Institute, Henley Lions Club and the Henley Society, will be laid in pairs.

There will by a flypast courtesy of RAF Benson at about 10.46am

Following the service there will be a parade featuring the cadets and other groups. There will then be light refreshments served in the town hall.

Market Place will be closed from 10.15am to noon for the duration of the service and parade.

BENSON

CURRENT and former service personnel will join residents of the village and neighbouring Ewelme in a parade that will assemble in High Street at 10.40am. The road will be closed at 10.30am.

At 10.43am the parade will set off for the war memorial at the junction of Oxford Road and Church Road in the order of RAF personnel, members of the Royal British Legion, veterans and then scouts, cubs, guides and brownies.

The service of remembrance will begin at 10.53am and the names of the servicemen and women from the parish who died in the two world wars as well as those who died while serving at RAF Benson since 1945 will be read aloud.

At 10.59am the Exhortation will be read by Councillor Fiona Lovesey. At 11am the Last Post will be sounded by a bugler from the Roke and Benson Band and the banners will be lowered.

A two-minute silence will be observed at 11am followed by Reveille being sounded and a reading of the Kohima Epitaph.

A fly-past from RAF Benson is scheduled to take place at about 11.04am.

This will be followed by the laying of wreaths, including those on behalf of Benson Parish Council, Benson Women’s Institute, the Benson Military Wives Choir and Benson Youth Club as well as private memorials. There will then be a blessing by the Rev Patrick Gilday.

BIX AND PISHILL

A JOINT service for the two villages will be held at St James’s Church in Bix, led by Rev Andrew Petit.

This has been organised with the Bix branch of the Royal British Legion.

The service will also remember Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s lifetime of service, as well as all those who fell in the two world wars and in all subsequent conflicts.

Relatives of those who took part in any conflict are especially welcome to attend.   

Helicopters from RAF Benson will fly over the church at about 10.45am and the congregation is asked to assemble outside the church to watch.

Refreshments will be served in Bix village hall after the service.

CAVERSHAM

ST John’s Church in Gosbrook Road and St Peter’s Church in The Warren will both hold services at 9.30am.

These will end in time for worshippers to join the ceremony at the Caversham war memorial in Christchurch Meadows, which begins at 10.45am.

CHECKENDON

A SERVICE will be held at St Peter’s and St Paul’s Church at 10.55am, conducted by Rev Kevin Davies.

DUNSDEN

A SERVICE will be held at All Saints’ Church from 9.15am and will be followed by the act of remembrance at the war memorial on Dunsden Green at 10.15am.

GORING

AT Our Lady and St John Church in Goring there will be a requiem for the fallen followed by an act of remembrance at the war memorial.

At St Thomas’ Church in Manor Road there will be a remembrance service starting at 10.50am.

HARPSDEN

A SERVICE will be held at St Margaret’s Church from 10.15am to 11.15am.

IPSDEN

A JOINT remembrance service for the villages of Ipsden and North Stoke will take place at St Mary’s Church at 10.45am. Wreaths will be laid at St Mary’s in North Stoke at around noon.

KIDMORE END

A SERVICE will be held at the war memorial in Wood Lane. People are asked to assemble at 10.45am.

Afterwards there will be a service in St John’s Church where the Royal British Legion, scouts and cubs colours will be received in the sanctuary. All are welcome to attend.

NETTLEBED

RESIDENTS are invited to join members of the village’s branch of the Royal British Legion at 10.30am in a walk from the village green to St Bartholomew’s Church.

At 10.40am they will parade along High Street to the lych gate, the village’s war memorial.

At 10.50am there will be a guard of honour and the act of remembrance and the Last Post will be sounded.  

Afterwards, everyone will be invited into the church for the traditional service of remembrance.

NUFFIELD

A SERVICE will be held at the war memorial outside Holy Trinity Church at 10.45am followed by holy communion inside the church, led by Rev Ian Thacker.

PEPPARD AND ROTHERFIELD GREYS

RESIDENTS of both villages are welcome to observe a reading of the roll of honour and a two-minute silence at the war memorial from 10.50am.

This will be followed by a service at All Saints’ Church in Church Lane, Peppard.

SHIPLAKE

A SERVICE will be held at St Peter’s and St Paul’s Church at 10.50am.

This will be followed by a remembrance service at the war memorial in Shiplake Cross at noon. Parents and families of pupils at Shiplake College can attend the school’s remembrance service in the Great Hall from 10.45am.

The guest speaker will be Peter Butterworth, from Combat Stress, a charity which supports service personnel who have been mentally and physically affected by the traumas of war and conflict.

SONNING

A SERVICE will be held at St Andrew’s Church at 10.30am conducted by Rev Jamie Taylor.

Reading Blue Coat School will be holding a service of remembrance at 9am. All are welcome.  

SONNING COMMON

THE 9.30am eucharist at Christ the King in Sedgewell Road, Sonning Common, will take place as usual.

STOKE ROW

PRAYERS of remembrance will be said at St John the Evangelist Church from 9.30am.

WARGRAVE

THERE will be a short procession, including members of the Royal British Legion, poppy cross carriers and other organisations, led by the St Sebastian (Wokingham) Brass Band.

It will begin at 9.30am from Wargrave Court and will proceed along the road to go around the war memorial and down to the entrance of St Mary’s Church where the service of remembrance will begin at 10am, led by the Rev John Cook. All are welcome.

A service of remembrance will take place around the memorial at 10.40am. All members of the public wishing to participate should arrive in good time. The service will begin with a march/walk from the church to the memorial followed by a two-minute silence at 11am.

This will be followed by the usual laying of wreaths, reading out of the names on the memorial and planting of 69 poppy crosses to remember each person listed.

There will be a collection for the Poppy Appeal.

WATLINGTON

A PARADE from the town hall will feature veterans, service personnel, members of the Royal British Legion, fire service, Women’s Institute and Watlington Age Concern, scouts and guides as well as representatives of schools, shops and the library.

The marchers will assemble from 10.30am and set off at 10.45am along High Street to the Cross, the town’s war memorial, where there will be a service and the laying of wreaths.   

The parade will be supported by the Watlington Concert Band. There will also be a fly-past from RAF Benson at about 10.45am.

WHITCHURCH/WHITCHURCH HILL

RESIDENTS of both villages are invited to attend a remembrance service at St John’s Church in Whitchurch Hill at 9.30am followed by an act of remembrance at the war memorial in High Street, Whitchurch, at 10.45am.

WOODCOTE  

VILLAGERS will observe an act of remembrance at the war memorial from 10.45am followed by a remembrance service in St Leonard’s Church.