The First World War ended in 1918, bringing to an end a period of conflict which had begun in 1914.
The declaration of peace — known as the Armistice — was signed in France by representatives of the two sides at 11am on November 11th, 2018. Fighting stopped at exactly that time.
An Act of Remembrance has taken place every year in towns and cities across Britain since November 11th, 1919, and the red poppy was introduced as a symbol of remembrance in 1921.
To mark the one hundredth anniversary of the start of World War 1, in 1914, Historic Royal Palaces commissioned a special project called Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red. The project saw 888,246 ceramic poppies installed in the moat around the Tower of London. The clay poppies were designed by artist Paul Cummins. Each one was hand-crafted by hundreds of workers in a pottery in Derbyshire so they were all slightly different in some way. Many were fired in the kilns with the potters’ fingerprints pressed into the poppy petals. The poppies were then transported to London and installed at the Tower. Hundreds of community groups volunteered to help with the planting. The first one was pushed into the ground on 17th July 2014 and the display was completed on 4th August 2014. The late Queen Elizabeth II and Duke of Edinburgh, as well as Prince William and Princess Catherine, and Prince Harry, were among more than five million people who visited the Tower between August and November to view the poppies.
A few weeks ago, we asked families to bring in old plastic drinks bottles. In the past few weeks, groups of children have been working hard in their lunch breaks to turn these bottles into poppies for our own Garden of Remembrance display.
You can see the result of all their hard work at the front of the school this week with all the poppies that were made having been planted in the ground around our iconic London Plane tree by the front gates on Havelock Road.
This will be a focal point of our own traditional Act of Remembrance on Monday 11th November.
Our Remembrance Day began with a call from Andy Collins, the breakfast show host on BBC Three Counties Radio, who spoke to Mr Bell and Nikolas from Y6 about our special project.
BBC Three Counties Radio interview (11.11.2024)
Then, during the morning, Mousumi Bakshi from BBC Look East and her cameraman colleague visited to record our Remembrance assemblies and to film classes visiting the poppy garden to observe the two minutes’ silence. Within a couple of hours, our school was a central feature of the news programme’s coverage of Remembrance commemorations across the region.
BBC Look East Lunchtime News (11.11.2024)
A second report, featuring children’s thoughts, was broadcast in the 6.30pm version of BBC Look East:
BBC Look East Evening News (11.11.2024)
BBC Beds Herts Bucks news website (11.11.2024)
Well done St Matthew’s
This remembrance serves as an important reflection for both children and adults, particularly for those who may not have encountered this story in their educational journeys. It is often the case that certain nations do not commemorate such solemn events, making our observance even more significant.
By honoring this event, we foster a sense of unity and collectively affirm that war is never a solution for any country or the world at large. It is our responsibility to promote peace and harmony among all people. The tragic loss of lives in 1914 is a poignant reminder of the lessons history can teach us. I would also like to express my gratitude to the educators guiding our youth through these vital teachings, understanding history is essential for our growth.
It is great to know that the efforts and contributions from various other countries and regions will be included as part of the teaching within the classroom
Luton schools offer an opportunity to commemorate such important events through a global perspective, promoting cohesion between communities of different ethnicities and faiths, or those of no faith.
The coverage seems to have failed to mention the millions of Indian, African, Caribbean, Australian and other European soldiers who volunteered to fight and made sacrifices, without which the outcome in Europe may have been very different. The diaspora of many of these nations now form the Britain of the 21st century.
India sent over two and a half million soldiers to fight under British command. Indians fought valiantly and with distinction throughout the world, including in the European theatre against Germany, North African Campaign against fascist Italy and elsewhere. Over 87,000 Indian troops, and 3 million civilians died in World War II. Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, former Commander-in-Chief, India, stated that Britain “couldn’t have come through both wars [World War I and II] if they hadn’t had the Indian Army.”
Rest assured that while a pair of 2-3 minute broadcasts, blending the Remembrance commemorations around the region, did not cover the contribution to the war effort of people from India, Africa, Caribbean, Australia and other European nations, this will most definitely be integrated within any teaching on this subject that takes places in the classroom, whether as part of the general History curriculum or when looking at the subject of Remembrance itself.
Thank you to everyone for making today’s assembly memorable. The children’s behaviour was impeccable making everyone a true ambassador to our amazing school.