On Remembrance Sunday, the local community in Thames Ditton came together to remember and reflect on conflicts past and present.
Members of local youth groups participated in the annual parade to the war memorial on the village green in Thames Ditton.
The service was very well attended by Scouts, Sea Scouts and Guides from local groups, some as young as six, as well as children from the local primary school and many other members of the community.
The war memorial was erected on the green in 1925 and has been attended by local Scouts every year since.
Next year will mark a century of remembrance by the local community.
Written on the memorial are the names of local residents who died or went missing during World War I and World War II.
Wreaths and crosses were laid during the service, including nine crosses bearing the names of Dittons Scouts who died during the two world wars.
These included two Scouts, Leslie Blachford and William Hider, who were founder members of the Dittons Scouts and were both killed on the 3rd of May 1917, in the Battle of Arras.
They were only twenty and twenty-two years old, and this made me reflect on the effects of conflict on young people.
This is especially relevant this year, as so many have been and still are affected by conflicts around the world, including the Middle East, Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar.
I was honoured to be able to play the Last Post during the service, and I was grateful for the opportunity to be involved in the parade and commemoration service as an Explorer Scout.
The two minute silence was a poignant moment of reflection, during which the whole community came together in remembrance.
I asked local resident Jane, who has been attending for many years, how she felt about the service.
“Our local remembrance service is always particularly meaningful for me as my grandfather was held in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during World War II. It’s an important moment to remember his courage and service. It’s wonderful to see so many young people participating every year.”
