The annual service of remembrance was held on November 13, Remembrance Sunday, at 11.30am at the Anvil Corner Memorial to the six young airmen from England, Australia and Canada who died when their aircraft crashed in a nearby field during World War II.

The weather was calm and still as the sun shone on the memorial stone during this open-air service attended by more than 50 people which included a horse rider and a cyclist who stopped to join in. It was surely a moving experience for those who attended and who undoubtedly appreciated its meaning and poignancy. Many people now make this an annual event in their calendars, but it is always good to welcome people attending for the first time as well.

The chairman of the Parish Council, Cllr Ray Fursdon, welcomed everyone to the event. The service was sensitively led by the Rev Dr Paul Fitzpatrick. Cllr Martin Gainsbury read the names, ages and units of each of the six fallen airmen, followed by traditional passages read by Cllr Janine King. Cllr Fursdon laid a wreath on behalf of Holsworthy Hamlets Parish Council & the residents of Staddon Road. This was followed by the placement of six wooden crosses onto the Memorial, one for each of the young airmen who lost their lives, by six people who were attending the service, including a Falklands veteran marking the 40th anniversary this year of that conflict.

The participants and congregation used the laminated service sheets which were designed previously by Arleen Gould, allowing everyone to follow the proceedings easily. The Last Post was sounded, followed by the traditional observation of two minutes silence, before the Reveille. Before everyone departed, the Rev Fitzpatrick told everyone that during the two minutes silence, a flock of seventy redwing had flown over the silent crowd of bowed heads – surely extremely poignant timing given what was happening below them.