The British Legion

A very impressive remembrance service arranged by the Castlethorpe Branch of the British Legion was held on Sunday afternoon in the Wesleyan Church in that village. Last year the parish Church was attended, and the members of the Legion had decided that the service should be alternated yearly between the two places of worship. Prior to the service on Sunday a party of some 18 ex-Service men of the village assembled near the British Legion headquarters and proceeded to the church, which was entirely filled with parishioners who were present to pay their tribute to the memory of the fallen in the Great War. The service was conducted by the Rev. H. H. Adams of Wolverton (the Wesleyan Church circuit minister) and was taken part in by the Vicar, the Rev. W. J. Harkness. The former gave the address, whilst the Vicar read the lessons and prayers. A collection was taken on behalf of Earl Haig’s Fund, and the total of £3 1s. 6. was a slight increase upon the previous year’s amount. The service was not completed in the church, for the circuit minister and Vicar immediately followed by the members of the British Legion and then by members of the congregation proceeded to the War Memorial, where the hymn “O God our help” was sung. A wreath was placed at the foot of the memorial by the chairman of the Castlethorpe Branch of the British Legion (Mr Burbidge), on behalf of the members, to the memory of their fallen comrades, whilst other flowers were deposited by those who had lost someone near and dear to them. The Vicar pronounced the Benediction, and the singing of the National Anthem brought the service to a close.