This year marks 100 years since the
battle of the Somme.
Earlier in the year, Worcester Cathedral
marked the opening day of the battle
and today it will be marked as part of the
Remembrance Day commemorations.
Canon Georgina Byrne explains why it’s
important to remember:
“The Battle of the Somme began on 1 July 1916 and ended on 19 November, the
same year as winter closed in. In the space of 141 days over a million soldiers from
Britain, the British Empire, France and the German Empire were dead or wounded. The
British and French had taken seven miles of German territory.
“Apart from the sheer loss of life on both sides, the Battle of Somme remains significant
in British history because of the involvement of volunteer recruits who took part
alongside the regular army. These were enthusiastic, fit young men, drawn to fight for
their country and recruited by Lord Kitchener. Many of these men came from the same
towns and villages, or from the same factories, and had joined up in ‘Pals’ battalions’,
with no experience of warfare.
“We can no longer ‘remember’ the Battle of the Somme: there is no one living who
does remember it. Instead we commemorate – and it is important that we do so. We
come together in prayer to acknowledge the horrors of war, the loss of a generation,
the grief that still resonates a hundred years later, and to reaffirm our determination
to work for peace.”
The Cathedral will mark Remembrance Sunday in the 10am service, with an act of
remembrance at the county war memorial outside the cathedral at 10.55 am.
Pray for all those who continue to be affected by war.
Upton Deanery – Rural Dean: Christopher Moss; Lay Chair: Roger Gillard
The Reformed Episcopal Church of Spain: Bishop Carlos López-Lozano
Diocese of Norwich: Bishop Graham James
with Bishops Alan Winton (Thetford) and Jonathan Meyrick (Lynn)
Diocese of Luleå (Sweden): Bishop Hans Stiglund