Close to 500 people attended the special service at St Mary’s Church in Bramshott, which included members of the Armed Forces, the Royal British Legion, Scouts, Cubs, Guides and Brownies, local schools as well as parish and district councillors and many families.
They remembered the 111 men of the parish, who died fighting in both World Wars and conflicts since, as well as those who suffered and continue to suffer injury and trauma caused by war.
The roll of honour called out the names of the 80 men who sacrificed their lives on the Western Front in the First World War, the 29 who did not return from the Second World War and the two who were lost in other conflicts since.
The Legion’s Liphook branch took the historic opportunity to dedicate a leather-bound book of Remembrance for those who died in wartime conflicts since 1914.
This year also saw the replacement of the Royal British Legion Union Flag, which was first presented back in 1940, with a new standard, carried into the church by Bob Hall.
Leading the standard bearers with the Union Jack was Liphook First Scout Tony Gunner, followed by Tom Ransom, who carried the Explorer Scouts’ standard and Curtis Nailer with the Scout Flag.
Isabelle Sear, Oscar Sheerin and Ben Wood carried the Cub flags, followed by Rosie Lumsley, Paige Anderson with the Guides standards and finally Tegan Boyce, Iona Williamson and Louise Morley with the Brownies’ flags.
The service was led by Rev Valentine Inglis-Jones and prayers were held for people in countries across the world where conflicts and wars still take innocent lives and where people are persecuted for their religious beliefs.
Readings were given by Col John Boyd and Scout member Elenor Sainsbury, as well as Lt Col Jamie Jack, with a moving rendition of Flanders Fields.
Hymns for the special service included Eternal Father, I Vow to Thee, O God Our Help in Ages Past and a poignant two-minute silence was held at 11am, signalled by Minister Alan Geddes blowing his wartime whistle.
He reminded the congregation the last soldiers to go ‘over the top’ when the whistle blew was at 4.20am on November 11, 1918, and on that morning there were 10,944 casualties and 2,738 deaths on the Western Front before the guns of Europe fell silent at 11am.
After the procession moved to the war memorial, wreaths were laid by parish council chairman Michael Croucher, East Hampshire district councillors Rebecca Standish and Angela Glass, Rhys Ireland on behalf the Scouts, Caitlin Boyce and Karina Cooper representng the Guides, Lila Mashma and Emile Burnet from Bohunt School and Jed Meekins of Hampshire’s Fire and Rescue Service.
The names on the war memorial were read out by Scout Theo Inwarrd, The Last Post and Reveille were played by Chucher’s College student Peter Hindson while the exhortations were read by Lt Col Jack.