King’s students and faculty members gather at the Guy’s Campus Memorial Arch.
A special dedication was made to alumni and staff members of Guy’s Hospital and its medical school, who lost their lives during twentieth century conflict – the arch bears the inscription of their names.
The service was led by Guy’s Campus Chaplain Father Stephen Stavrou and the campus Lay Roman Catholic Chaplain Joan Tierney, with King’s Principal Professor Sir Rick Trainor and KCLSU President Sebastiaan Debrouwere in attendance.
Choristers sing the ‘Russian Kontakion’, a traditional song honouring those lost in war.
Sebastiaan Debrouwere lays one of two red wreaths placed in memory of the departed.
The white wreath, laid by Sir Rick Trainor, symbolises the hope for peace in our world today. The traditional remembrance service and use of the blood-red poppy has become an issue of contention in recent years, with the University of London Union going so far as to pass legislation prohibiting its representatives from attending remembrance services in an official capacity.
Writing for Roar! in response to the ULU legislature, Debrouwere claimed that “the decision taken at ULU was inappropriate” and “the process of [it] was wrong”.
The Last Post is played before the minute-silence.
A peace pledge is read by the service’s attendees, promising to commit to “peace and the service of one another, the relief of want, and the good of all people.”
Children from a local school attend the service.
As the service draws to a close and those who attended leave, the wreaths and arch remain as a testament to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
