Remembrance Day
The Remembrance commemoration of 11th November is always an intense event for myself but rarely more so than during the service held on Wednesday morning. The unique circumstances of this current time somehow enhanced the occasion. Only Year 11 could be in the PA Hall with the remainder of Pre-Prep, Prep and the Senior Schools all watching the event streamed into their form rooms. An underlying theme of the whole service was the fact this year is the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain of which, to my knowledge, only a single fighter pilot veteran is still alive. Mrs Knox began the service and introduced a 'virtual' Rev'd Tim Clifford Hill who had recorded a service filmed at St Nicholas's Church, Cranleigh, where he is now the curate. He mentioned the RAF origins of Duke of Kent School in that the first students were dependents of RAF personnel. One of his family forbears, Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, was one of the RAF senior commanders during the Battle of Britain who himself sadly died in an air accident later in the war. Rev'd Tim had visited Leigh-Mallory's (and the other passengers) graves in the French Alps, and spoke movingly of spiritual reunion mentioned on one of the gravestones. He engaged everybody with his compelling and inspiring address, tailored beautifully for the school. This was followed by a performance from Year 11 choir members who sang a rendition of the late Vera Lynn's 'We'll Meet Again', which linked perfectly with Rev'd Tim's words and (one hopes and expects) our lives after lockdown.
As Head Boy, Oscar B then recounted the genuine national fear of German invasion after the Dunkirk evacuation, and read part of Churchill's defiant 'we will fight them on the beaches' speech which helped reassure and inspire the nation. Head Girl, Milly B, spoke of the tragedy of the death of a fighter pilot, Denis Wissler, shot down on this very day in 1940. His fiancée, Edith Heap, worked in an RAF command centre, and so heard this happen first hand. The couple had written to each other every day - and Edith still regularly reads those letters which she has asked to be destroyed once she dies. Our History Prefect, Ben H-F, read a stunning poem written by another pilot, John Gillespie Magee, 'High Flight', which described the (literally) poetic and spiritual experience of flying high, free and alone. Again, this pilot did not survive the war, dying aged only nineteen.
Overseen by Mr Seeley, Year 11 assembled by the flagpole for the Last Post ceremony. Four new wreaths were laid by our Heads of School, each of whom had also written their own epitaphs. Kora W performed the Last Post superbly. Simultaneously all students stood in their forms to show their respects.
This was an emotive thirty minutes but so very poignant and relevant. Teamwork was a characteristic of 1940 - and so it was for this event. For example, no less than five people - Mr Rye, Mr Southee, Mr Seeley, Miss Vernon and Mr Wyllie were involved in the camera-work, the latter in filming the Last Post ceremony from the school drone (rather appropriate given the theme), which you can see on Instagram. The four military silhouettes on the bank were created by our own Mrs Kerr while the flagpole was built by Mr Young.
A final thought is as follows. Speaking of the RAF aircrew in 1940 Winston Churchill told the country:
'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few'.
We ourselves are privileged to be some of those 'many'.
Mr Lodge
I am just delighted to announce that we have appointed a Wellbeing Coordinator. Duke of Kent School has always prided itself on being a nurturing and caring school, with a strong focus on pastoral care, where all pupils are known and supported. We are determined to continue with this pro-active approach and develop an integrated Wellbeing framework. This will enable us to pull all of our pastoral strands together and implement strategies and programmes to ensure students, staff and parents are well informed and supported in achieving good mental health. Following an external recruitment campaign, one of our own members of staff, Mrs Mariette Douglas, has been appointed to this position. Mrs Douglas is passionate about mental health and the wellbeing of children. Testament to this was her return to college a number of years ago to retrain. She is now a fully qualified counsellor and currently volunteers for a number of services.
A big CONGRATULATIONS to Maddie I who has won Runner Up in the Southern Area ISA KS3 and 4 Photography competition! Maddie's photograph, titled 'Jump In', was taken during our period of home learning last academic year and won her the House Senior Photography Competition.
Thanks to all of you who have shown an interest in putting together a 'Christmas shoebox' for Samaritans Purse. Due to current circumstances, the deadline for handing in your shoebox has been extended to 4th December. Please drop your shoebox into the Art Studio by this date. Remember to check the website below for full instructions on how to pack your box and to log your gift with Samaritans Purse.
Christmas Pudding is a fun and festive tale by Nancy Mitford
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