Service of Celebration and Remembrance by the Stoneleigh Historical Society & Stoneleigh Male voice Choir on 16 November 2018

 Service of Celebration and Remembrance
by the Stoneleigh Historical Society & Stoneleigh Male voice Choir on 16th November 2018.

I had the pleasure and fortune to attend the Service of Celebration and Remembrance planned and arranged by the Stoneleigh Historical Society & Stoneleigh Male voice Choir on the 16th November 2018.

Nothing unusual you may be thinking, but it really was, as it looked to bring this dark period of history absolutely to life in real terms. 

What I mean by that is, it focused on those local people who gave their life along with those who’s previous sedate and normal life were so badly affected, and this ranged from “who can repair our boots and shoes” to those who were needed to support all of the critical agricultural elements and of course the estate that was Stoneligh & Ashow.

A difficult thing to imagine currently, yet , to hear someone read the letters and share the thoughts of those of that time in character made the whole thing real and thought provoking.

As the evening progressed the enormity of how this small community was affected became more and more apparent particularly towards the end when the focus was on “and when they ask us what it was it like” then culminating in a speech by Lloyd George at the end.

However, this wasn’t the end , The Stoneligh Historical Society has worked hard over the years to identify all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice not just by name but where they fell and where they are forever immortalised across the world.
This was not a normal remembrance event it was a proud and thoughtful history lesson of the area that will forever immortalise those affected, how they were affected and how they coped with it all something that we can only imagine .

​And for those like me who never lived through such a conflict a much-increased understanding as to how our community and its people were affected directly and if I dare say it how they “continued to get on with life” before, during and after.

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