What’s Gone — Past Events
Exploring Sacred Space: The Ypres Salient, 4th — 6th June 2010
The second G7 expedition to WW1 sites, this time to the Ypres Salient, was another outstanding success. This time, however, sadly we were without the expert guidance of Keith Fazzani who was taken ill shortly before we left. We were not left in the lurch as Lindsay, already the organiser and driver, took on the task aided by Keith’s notes and advice from his hospital bed!
The group was well catered for at our base, the Ariane Hotel in Ypres. We visited battlefields, cemeteries, museums and churches but the undoubted highlight for many of us was Talbot House in Poperinge - ‘a place of life’ for our troops, rather than up the road in Ypres ‘a place of death’ – so graphically and mesmerisingly described… more to come very, very soon!
Exploring Sacred Space 17th — 19th April 2009
Early on Friday 17th April 2009, a group of 14 people from the G7 Parishes set off for France through the Channel Tunnel in a Wealden Wheels minibus. Our driver was Lindsay Hammond and our guide was Lindsay’s friend and former colleague, Keith Fazzani.
Though everyone had their own reason for making the trip to First World War sites, the theme of the weekend was ‘Exploring Sacred Space’. In the evenings we assembled in our hotel in Albert to discuss what ‘sacred space’ meant to each of us personally — for some this was not necessarily associated with religious belief.
Delville Wood was our first stop at the Somme battlefields. Here there is a cemetery, the third largest on the Somme, and a memorial to the many South Africans who died there. The wood itself is now beautiful, carpeted with bluebells… covering more than 10,000 missing soldiers…
The cemetery there was our introduction to many others, immaculately kept by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, with their ranks of identical white headstones.
The names, the dates, the ages, the nationalities conveyed so much.
No less moving were the majority, unidentified, saying only:
‘A Soldier of the Great War, Known unto God’ and bearing a plain cross.
The cemetery at Fricourt, holding more than 17,000 German dead, had a very different atmosphere — here each stark black metal cross marked the grave of up to four soldiers — but this was still, for some of us, a sacred space.
Throughout our trip Keith guided us expertly round memorials, cemeteries, battle sites, trenches, and mine craters, dispensing facts and figures in just the right doses. Sites on the Somme included the Devonshire Cemetery,
the Thiepval Memorial,
the Ulster Tower (where resident Ulsterman, Teddy, gave us a fascinating tour of the trenches in Thiepval Wood),
Luke Copse,
Newfoundland Memorial Park and the Lochnagar Crater.
We visited cemeteries and memorials where the fallen of G7 parishes are commemorated and whose names appear on our local war memorials.
Here we placed crosses in their memory.
On Sunday morning,
at a cemetery at Gommecourt, Lindsay conducted a short service of remembrance.
On the last day we left the Somme and headed north into Belgium to the Hyde Park Royal Berkshire Cemetery and Ploegsteert (Plug Street) Memorial, St Nicholas Church in Messines, Hooge Crater Cemetery and on to Ypres.
Here at the Menin Gate Memorial we witnessed the daily Last Post Ceremony — a simple but moving tribute to the missing — where one of our group was privileged to lay a wreath.
Back home via the shuttle after a very special trip.
Thank you so much Lindsay and Keith for all you did to make it such a memorable experience!
CMM/TCM
Pilgrimage to Iona: 27th October — 3rd November 2008
Our Pilgrimage began in Pluckley at 5am on the morning of the 27th October.
We eventually arrived on the Island of Iona having travelled in three coaches, an aeroplane and two ferries to arrive on Iona at 6pm. Our journey took us through wonderful mountain roads on the West Coast of Scotland and across the Isle of Mull to Iona. The sky was full of amazing stars as we made our way off the ferry. It was very cold and we had snow showers and bitter winds but we arrived safely and were soon in the warm surroundings of our accommodation. Every meal was something to be looked forward to as well as tea at 4pm!. The cooks in the house prepared amazing food (especially the porridge). We were really looked after well by the Warden, nothing was too much trouble! Some of us were staying at the Bishops House and others at a nearby B & B. The Bishops House is a Retreat and incorporates the Chapel of St Columba who sailed from Ireland to Iona in 563 with 12 of his monks. Lindsay led our services and meditations in the Chapel which in itself was very warm and welcoming and a place to be quiet and reflect. Later in the day we met as a group to discuss each day’s meditation.
Our first glimpse of Iona on Tuesday morning was quite overwhelming. It is a beautiful Island with white sandy beaches and azure blue waters which seemed to change constantly, with the backdrop of snow capped mountains of the Inner Hebrides across the water. Tuesday was spent on a Pilgrimage around the island led by one of the members of the Iona Community. We visited places of historical and religious significance on the island and at each station there was a brief reflection and prayer and sometimes silence or songs. Although the wind was bitterly cold and we had the odd snow shower it was a great experience. On Wednesday the sun shone and we took the opportunity of taking a boat ride to the legendary Fingal’s Cave on the Island of Staffa. It was quite choppy going and quite difficult to land as we arrived. Once we were on the Island we managed to see newly born seals which was quite amazing. The walk around the side of the cliff to the Cave was a little scary to say the least as the wind was howling but well worth the effort! Our journey back was very rough indeed but we arrived back in port safe and sound! Many of us spent Thursday exploring the Island on foot. We braved the sea again on Friday and had a wonderful trip around the Island by boat. The wind had dropped and still the sun shone and made walking a real pleasure. Some of us climbed to the top of the highest and only mountain on the island (Dun 1,332 feet above sea level!!) We were able to walk around the Island (3.5 miles long x 1.5 miles at its widest point) and its beautiful beaches and be totally alone with our own thoughts and reflections. On the Saturday we had a guided tour of The Abbey Church (St Mary’s Cathedral) and Museum. It has an amazing wealth of history within its walls and cloisters. The Abbey has been rebuilt over the centuries and completely restored in the 20th century and is now cared for by Historic Scotland. On the Sunday morning we attended the Abbey for the Eucharist Service which was very beautiful. We each took a piece of bread from a loaf that was passed around the worshippers and did the same with the chalice. It was a very simple but moving service. The Iona Community lead the service with singing and prayers.
The Iona Community was founded by George MacLeod in 1935 which brings together Christian men and women from different walks of life and different churches in community and prayer The Iona Community has a long standing commitment to working with young people.
Our Pilgrimage to the beautiful Island of Iona with its peacefulness and beauty was a remarkable experience and I think touched us all in different ways. A big “thank you” Lindsay for your leadership, for the peace and fellowship you brought to us at the daily services which made our Pilgrimage to Iona so very memorable.
Enid Watson