On the eleventh hour of a sunny autumnal eleventh of November, around 1,200 boys and staff from Bedford School’s Prep and Upper schools gathered for a poignant Remembrance Assembly. This annual event is held to honour the millions of soldiers and civilians who lost their lives during wars, including many Old Bedfordians.
The assembly took place outdoors on the Inky Pitch, allowing the entire school community to come together. Silence fell over the crowd as members of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) paraded their flag across the pitch before Mr Baldock, Acting Head Master, and Mr Sanders, Acting Chaplain, led the service. 
The school’s Memorial Hall bears the names of the 756 Old Bedfordians who were killed in battle in the two World Wars. As is customary, Mr. Baldock read out the names of a selected group of these fallen heroes as 11 o’clock approached.
Richard Northern, President of the OB Club, recited an excerpt from Robert Laurence Binyon’s poem For the Fallen, concluding with the immortal line, “We will remember them.” The entire school echoed this line in unison.
As a solitary golden leaf fell from one of the Silver Birches lining the Inky Pitch, the solemn notes of The Last Post were played on the bugle by Fifth Former Jamie Hall. The flag was dipped, and heads bowed to mark the beginning of the two-minute silence.
The silence was broken as the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) raised the flag and read aloud the words:
“When you go home, tell them of us and say, ‘For your tomorrow we gave our today’.”
Chapel Choir dressed in cassocks and surplices, sang out For the Fallen (a setting of the traditional Exhortation for Remembrance) by Douglas Guest, before the Lord’s Prayer was said by all, following which the colour party marched across the field to signify the end of the service.
This moving assembly always serves as a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by so many, and the importance of remembering them.
