Service of Remembrance

“When you go home, tell them of us and say, For your tomorrow, we gave our today.”

On Wednesday morning, pupils in Year 9 to Year 13 attended their Service of Remembrance in the Chapel, remembering those who lost their lives in conflict.

We remember all those, including many past pupils of Christ College who lost their lives. This year, the Head, Will, Ollie and Huw Richards (OBA) quietly read out the names of the Old Breconians who lost their lives in conflict, and then Bella played The Last Post leading the congregation in a minute’s silence.

During this special service, Mr Pearson also spoke of all those unlisted, those who don’t appear on any War memorial. He shared the story of Richard Darwin Wade Harley, an Old Breconian who joined Christ College in 1930.

In July 1933, at the age of 16, Wade Harley left school to join his father and brother in the banking profession. In October 1939, a month after war was declared, he volunteered into the army. He became a gunner in the Royal Artillery and early in 1940 he was sent to France with the British Expeditionary Force, which was deployed alongside the allied troops in France and Belgium.

On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded France and pushed back the British Expeditionary Force to the French port of Dunkirk. Soon 340,000 troops were crowded onto the beaches waiting for evacuation home by the Royal Navy’s ‘Operation Dynamo’. More than 300,000 men were evacuated in the operation that is so familiar to us, but Gunner Harley was not one of them. He was wounded and he became one of more than 40,000 British soldiers who didn’t make it out of France that day.

In the book ‘Dunkirk: The Men They Left Behind’, Historian Sean Longden writes, “These dreadful days were never forgotten by those who endured them. They had fought the battles to ensure the successful evacuation of over 300,000 fellow soldiers. Their sacrifice had brought the salvation of the British nation. Yet they had been forgotten while those who escaped and made their way back home were hailed as heroes.”

Instead of being hailed as a hero, Wade Harley was captured and became a prisoner of War. He became prisoner 10655 and like thousands of others, he experienced the brutalizing experiences of being held captive. He was forced to work in a coalmine, where he endured hard physical labour on a poor diet and contracted tuberculosis. For nearly five years he survived unimaginably horrific conditions.

When Wade was finally repatriated, he was immediately discharged from the Army on account of his ruined health. He was able to return to work as a bank clerk and he made gallant efforts to maintain a normal life, despite his physical and mental scars, but his ill health continued. In March 1948 at the age of 30, Richard Darwin Wade Harley died because of pulmonary tuberculosis known to have been contracted whilst a Prisoner of War.

‘RDW Harley’ does not appear on the World War Two Memorial Tablet near the entrance of the Christ College Chapel but was added to the Roll of Honour in 2022. Today we honour Gunner Harley, and all like him, for the sacrifice he made. He represents the many Old Breconians who may have returned home but their lives were also taken by their experience of war, just like those who are named.

Prep School Service

On Friday morning, pupils in St Nicholas House and Alway House attended their Service of Remembrance in the Chapel, lead by Rev Rich Wooten. Following an introduction to the service from the Head, Roshan sang ‘The Lads in Their Hundreds’ from Six Songs from a Shropshire Lad, by George Butterworth. He sang beautifully and instilled a sense of calm to all in the congregation.

Mr Goodrich and Mr Kerr brought the Book of Remembrance to the school chaplain who placed it on the alter. Mr Bufton, Gruff, Freya, Mariana, Tyler, and Ginny then read out the names of the Old Breconians from the book, who lost their lives during war. Bella once again played ‘The Last Post’ leading the service in a minutes silence.

Our thanks to George and Coco for reading in Chapel, and to sixth form pupils Will and Ollie, who each spoke powerful words during their Sermon. To end the service, Aurora, Olivia, Hugo, Jack, Hugh and Grace led us in prayer. Our Prep School Sacristan, Lexi ended the prayers with “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with us”.

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.”