11.11.2014
Christmas Truce Inspires Bray Remembrance Flower Festival
Christmas 1914 was the theme of Christ Church Bray’s Remembrance Flower Festival and Exhibition which ran over the weekend and drew to a close in the church this afternoon.
Parishioners and members of the wider community in Bray attended an Act of Remembrance this morning to mark Armistice Day. Brian O’Donnell led the Act of Remembrance with the Rector, the Revd Baden Stanley, in the porch of the church surrounded by a floral representation of ‘In Flanders Field’.
The flower festival and exhibition was the parish’s contribution to commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. Over the years, through artistic depictions in flowers and paintings and through storyboards and newspapers, they have sought to retell stories of ordinary individuals who did extraordinary things in times of war.
While not seeking to celebrate or triumphalise war, the exhibition sought to recognise the horror experienced in conflict. The 168 men and boys from Bray who died during World War One were remembered with each individual’s name displayed in the church along with some of their wills which were scribbled in the trenches.
Floral displays throughout the church focused on a number of themes including ‘Lest we Forget’ and ‘Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag’, to name just two. The centrepiece of this year’s exhibition was the ‘Christmas 1914’ display in the chancel. The piece depicted the Christmas Truce of 1914 and a game of football in no man’s land between the Allied and German soldiers.
Photo captions:
Top – The Revd Baden Stanley and Brian O’Donnell.
Bottom – ‘Christmas 1914’ display in the chancel of Christ Church Bray.