Knox Box of Miscellany

Dawn Knox – A rearranger of words into something hopefully meaningful…

Remembering the Sons of Three Towns

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Remembrance Day at St. Nicholas Church. In Loving Memory

Remembrance Day at St. Nicholas Church. In Loving Memory

Forget Never, Oublier Jamias, Vergessen Niemals

The Forget Never, Oublier Jamais, Vergessen Niemals is a project initiated by Basildon MP, Stephen Metcalfe, and coordinated by The Basildon Borough Heritage Group. Linking with Basildon’s twinning towns, Meaux in France and Heiligenhaus in Germany, BBHG plans to deliver a series of commemorative projects discussing what life was like in the three towns.
During the course of the year, BBHG aim to deliver a number of projects involving participation from residents of the three towns. One project is an end of year Christmas Concert in St. Martin’s Church which will include musical and dramatic contributions from all three towns.
You can find out more here and here

AndI mention this, because I have had the privilege of writing the ‘dramatic contributions’ for the Christmas Concert. I was asked to include information about three men, each of whom served their country during the First World War. They came from Wickford (Basildon as we know it today wasn’t in existence during WWI), from Meaux in France and from Heiligenhaus in Germany. It has been very moving, finding out about the three men: George Burnett, Louis Vallin and Albert Kiekert. Discovering details about their families, interests and service to their country, has been an emotional journey for me.

Since there will be representatives from Germany and France at the concert, I thought it important that I highlight the common suffering and heroism rather than any differences. Pointing fingers and apportioning blame were obviously things I wanted to avoid, so instead, I focused on the bravery – not only of the three men – but of all the men who fought. And I certainly found plenty of evidence of that. Men who literally put themselves in the line of fire in order to rescue comrades.

I’ve never wanted to know more than the main details about the First World War, or indeed, the Second. I find it too upsetting and depressing. But having to carry out research to write this script, I found plenty of material which heartened and uplifted me. Yes, there was a great deal of mindless cruelty but there were also tremendous acts of courage and fortitude, sacrifice and humanity.

But wouldn’t it be nice to know that it didn’t take a cataclysmic event like a world war to bring out those qualities?

 

The photo was taken at St. Nicholas Church, Laindon with Dunton. If you would like to support renovation work on the church please buy ‘Daffodil and the Thin Place’, details of which you can find here

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