On Sunday, Bishop Stephen attended the remembrance service at the Royal Marines, Poole, which is home to the Special Boat Service. He said: "I was impressed by the sincerity of all those taking part, in particular the Special Boat Service prayer, which is deeply Gospel rooted."
Originally dedicated and unveiled in 1920 to commemorate WWI, Bishop Stephen, with General Sir Nick Parker, also officiated at the unveiling and dedication of the war memorial at All Saints and St Mary’s Church, Chitterne, on Armistice Day. Thanks to the collaborative and dedicated work of the parish and diocesan church buildings team, the memorial has now been engraved with the names of those from the village who died in WWII.
Located in the churchyard, the memorial was originally engraved with the names of seven men who died from Chitterne, along with those of 82 men who served in WWI; the names of those who died are also commemorated on a brass plaque in the church, where there is also a separate plaque with the names of two fallen soldiers from WWII.
The memorial has been newly engraved to include the names of the two soldiers who died in WWII - Lieutenant Edwin George and Private Leonard Salter – and, importantly, that of a third, Lance Sergeant William Stacey, whose name was not included on the WWII commemoration plaque in the church.
The dedication ceremony was attended by relatives of the three fallen from WWII, including the daughter, grandson and great-grandson of Lance Sergeant Stacey and the nieces of Lt George and Pte Salter. Funds for the engraving were raised by regimental, local and anonymous donations, and the dedication service, which was concluded in the church by Bishop Stephen.