Whatlington

Church News: Whatlington commemorated the eve of the centenary of the declaration of war in 1914 firstly with a talk, given in the church by local author Charlotte Moore about the six men whose names appear on the village war memorial, with some background information about them and the village as it was then. Charlotte’s talk was very interesting and attended by some seventy people. At the end of the talk ‘Sussex by the Sea’ was played, as well as our county song which was the regimental march of the Royal Sussex Regiment, in which four of the six men commemorated had served. The talk was followed by a special service of sung evensong, the hymns, including ‘O Valiant Hearts’ and ‘Jerusalem’ were all appropriate to the occasion, the names on the memorial were read out and a poppy wreath laid. Following the service a spray of poppies was placed on a Great War grave in the churchyard. The service was followed by light refreshments served in the church. Next Sunday, being the second Sunday of the month the service at Whatlington will be our All Age service at 10.30am, as usual this will be followed by teas and coffee whilst parking will be available in the village hall car park.

Further WWI Event: Following on from the events of last Sunday, there will also be a further commemorative event tomorrow, Saturday, August 9th, starting at 3.00 pm in the Village Hall. As previously advised, this will involve a talk by award-winning author Alan Judd, who used to live in Whatlington, on the impact of the First World War both on the men who fought in the conflict and on the village residents who remained at home, doing what they could on the Home Front and anxiously awaiting their return. There will also be an exhibition of documents and military memorabilia and other items reflecting those times. The talk will be followed by a delicious tea. Finally, I’d like to say how very much I enjoyed Charlotte Moore’s talk last Sunday, and indeed the moving Evensong service that followed. Her research and descriptions gave life once again to the men who of Whatlington who died and who, until then, had only been a list of names to most of us, however much honoured and respected. It was both fascinating and very moving to hear more about them all, to picture them in their various trades and professions and to find out where they had lived. Thank you indeed both to Charlotte and to the PCC for arranging such a thoughtful and memorable event.

Patricia Begg

Riccards Spring