Remembrance Sunday 14th November 2021

The Order of Service is available by clicking on the
​                                                                              link to the right.
remembrance_service_2021.pdf
File Size: 591 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Reverend Paul Wright, Archdeacon of Bromley and Bexley
                         Miss Claire Jones, Soloist
Remembrance Day
Reverend Alison Newman led a short ceremony around the flagpole outside the Chapel on Remembrance Day at 11am.  About 60 adults attended  including local Councillors, and many youngsters on a school visit stood outside and heeded the 2 minute silence.  The Chapel Bell tolled and the ceremony began .

​The Royal Air Force Ensign was lowered to half mast for silent remembering.  How fortunate it was that the weather was perfect and the sun was shining.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Remembrance Sunday 8th November 2020


​Our Remembrance Sunday Service could not take place  but the Order of Service is available to download below or a copy could be posted to you by contacting   stgeorgesrafchapel@gmail.com ​
final__remembrance_service_22.10.20.pdf
File Size: 431 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

A short wreath laying ceremony was allowed, led by Archdeacon Paul Wright. The weather was perfect and some people gathered outside the railings to watch. The silence was observed on time at 11 o'clock and Bugler Nigel Garrard gave faultless renderings of the Last Post and Reveille.
Passing traffic was relentless and noisy. Remembrance Sunday on the road was just like any busy week work day in a previous year.
BBC News Southeast recorded interviews and showed some of the ceremony. Two videos are available to see, taken by a guest.

  The Wreathlaying



​The Silence
Mr Nigel Garrard plays The Last Post  and Reveille       ​
Picture










​​
 Picture
                   
Picture






​Archdeacon Paul Wright and Mr Nigel Garrard

​About 900 handmade poppies stream from the cross outside the Chapel.
Picture



​St George's Clock

The clock was set manually to 11 o'clock which was a brilliant idea for Remembrance Day!

The clock stopped at seven mins past six and has not worked since the Chapel closed in September 2017. 

It will be repaired at the end of the current restrictions. The replacement movement which The Friends are paying for,  through the Trust will  keep the correct time despite any power cut.  

As to whether the clock face will ever be repainted remains to be seen.  


​REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY 10 NOVEMBER 2019

The sun shone and the day remained dry, as the Chapel filled almost to capacity with about 200 people who had come to the Remembrance Service. The Chapel had been beautifully and suitably adorned with poppy flowers and handmade woollen poppies. Donations, alone, for some of the handmade poppies and dedication messages amounted to £55 for the Royal British Legion.

It was good to see serving members of the Royal Air Force and the Army in uniform, together with many cadets of 2427 (Biggin Hill) Air Training Corps.

The officiating minister was Canon Katrina Barnes who lives in the Bromley area. She lent a very personal aspect to the sermon by including stories of three generations of her family who had served our country. The choir lead by Helen Isom gave a very good performance, matched only by David Thorne the organist and Edward East, a young trumpeter from  the Bromley School of Music.

Readings were ably given by Pam Russell, a Museum volunteer and Cadet Amy Cheeseman of Biggin Hill Air Training Corps Squadron.  Randolph Churchill, great grandson of Sir Winston, patron of the Museum Trust and Mike Render a Trustee, also participated in the service.

Afterwards, in a short ceremony lead by Reverend Katrina, wreaths were laid, near the Hurricane Gate Guardian, on behalf of the Veterans by Peter Lemon , (a veteran, who will be 99 in December),  followed by the Friends of St George’s Chapel,  the Museum,  Bromley Council, the Airport, MOD personnel living in quarters, All who served at Biggin Hill, and 2427 Squadron (Biggin Hill) Air Training.

Since then, crosses and more wreaths have been placed near the Gate Guardians.

On Remembrance Day, the two minute silence was kept around the flagpole, as has happened for many years,  10 people attended,  but unfortunately, some others were seen to have gone away before the gate was opened by a Museum Volunteer.
2427 Squadron(Biggin Hill) Air Training Corps, preparing for the Royal Salute and National Anthem​​
    Shown are handmade woollen poppies,
sold for the Royal British Legion, and dedications
    Flowers by Mrs Barbara Hodges, Chapel Volunteer
Mr Peter Lemon laying a wreath
​on behalf of the Veterans
Miss Katie Edwards, Museum Director, laying a wreath on behalf of the Museum
                                                     Eight official wreaths were laid near the Hurricane Gate Guardian.
The Remembrance Garden

Battle of Britain Sunday 2019

It was a lovely day weather wise and just under 100 people,  including Cadets from 2427 (Biggin Hill) Squadron, ​were in the Chapel for the Service led by Reverend Katrina Barnes.  Two RAF veterans of the Second World War, namely Vic Farmer and Peter Lemon were present as was the Mayor, Councillor Nicholas Bennett and his wife.

Three flags were paraded at the service, the Canadian and the Royal Naval Association Standards and 2427 (Biggin Hill) Air Training Corps’ banner. 

The Minister, Katrina Barnes gave an excellent thought provoking sermon and the choir of some 20 members, was in good voice. David Thorne our organist is a professional musician, and coped admirably with the odd hiccup. Vicky Mace who teaches at Charles Darwin school was our excellent trumpeter.
​
30 Friends of the Chapel had lunch at the West Kent Golf Club afterwards. One guest was a young man called Rodney, 8 years old, whose conversation with Vic Farmer, a Navigator on Lancasters, is below.
​
Picture
Rodney. Hello, can I look at your medals? Wow!That’s bomber command!! Did you fly Lancasters?
 Vic. Yes, I did, in the war.
 
Rodney. Is a  Lancaster bigger than B17 ?
 Vic. Yes, it is. A Lancaster is big.

 Rodney. Did you do bombings?
 Vic. Yes
 
Rodney. Did you do tall bombs? (Tallboy)
 Vic. Yes.
 
Rodney.  And torpit bombs?
(Unsure what was meant there…. , topedos or Turpitz which was a German battleship)         
 But Vic continued…..
​Vic. Yes, they are big bombs. My plane had guns for firing at the enemy, but when I had big bombs to carry, the guns were taken away because the plane would be too heavy with guns as well.
 Rodney. (after a moment of thought) So how did you shoot the enemy?
 
​Vic. I had special escort planes which had guns and could help protect me. I was very lucky.

​ They then went on to talk about the size of bombs, bombing raids, the nucleur bomb, other planes.
​Both absolutely loved it.

​Rodney thanked Vic, without any prompting, saying " Thank you Sir for what you did".
 
Rodney’s comment after;  best dinner ever!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                         Remembrance Day November 11th 2018
The London Borough of Bromley Council opened St. George’s RAF Chapel to the public and in conjunction with the Biggin Hill Memorial Museum Trust organised a Service of Remembrance on this day at 10.30am. They produced and printed 150 copies of the order of service and arranged for the choir, organist and trumpeter to be present.
​
​Parking was a bit of an issue as the building contractors were still on site, so nothing was available to the public. This proved to be no deterrent to the 240 plus people who came to pay their respects and to honour those who gave their lives for us.
 
The Chapel was full to bursting, some had to stand in the entrance as there was no room inside. Extra chairs were needed in St. George’s room, the Air Training Corps Cadets rose to the occasion and ferried more from their building but it was still standing room only for many people. Decorated officers from the armed forces were present along with those who had travelled a distance, Hertfordshire, Eastbourne, Bournemouth, Birmingham to name but a few, and of course, the people of Biggin Hill, the Chapel congregation and Beckenham Rugby Cyclists.
​
The Chapel itself looked beautiful with sun streaming in through the newly cleaned stained-glass windows, lighting the sanded floor and the freshly cleaned and repaired hassocks.  Two poppy arrangements were on display either side of the aisle.
An emotive service was conducted by Reverend Peter Hills and Father Gerald Flood and the Act of Remembrance by Air Commodore John Bell.   2427 (Biggin Hill) Squadron Air Training Corps paraded their Banner and a short wreath laying ceremony took place inside the Chapel during the service. The collection raised in excess of £700 to go to the Royal British Legion.
 
Further wreaths were laid after the service, underneath the Gate Guardian. The ATC cadets assembled with their Banner, the trumpeter played the Last Post and Reverend Peter Hills said a short prayer. Wreaths were laid by: Royal British Legion, the Friends, Biggin Hill Air Training Corps and  one in memory of all those who flew from the Biggin Hill sector.
Picture








​Wreath laying under the Spitfire
Picture





​2427 Squadron(Biggin Hill) Air Training Corps 
 Beckenham Rugby Cyclists




​Sea Scouts attended a service and paraded their banner
A baptism took place with Reverend Eric Hesselwood.