A SPECIAL service was held on October 30 in St Briochus Church, Lezant, to commemorate the twelve men of the parish who lost their lives in the First World War.

The central feature of the service was the installation of silhouettes, in the form of transparent seated military figures, to represent each of those twelve men.

More than 120 people filled the church to capacity and were welcomed by the Rev Heather West. During the opening hymn, ‘I Vow to Thee my Country’, the Royal British Legion Standard was processed up the aisle and laid on the altar, accompanied by cadets from Inkerman Company, Cornwall Army Cadet Force. Pupils from Trekenner School then read biographies which they had prepared of each of the fallen men and, assisted by the cadets, laid poppies and lighted candles in front of each of the silhouettes. In a poignant moment, the congregation heard that two of the men commemorated were related to two of the present-day pupils of the school.

Following the installation of the silhouettes, the first of three war poems was read; ‘Trench Duty’ by Siegfried Sassoon, who served on the Western Front and won the military cross. The pupils of Trekenner School then led the congregation in the singing of some old wartime favourites which would have been familiar to the men being commemorated, including ‘Pack Up Your Troubles’ and ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’. A second war poem was read, this time ‘My Boy Jack’ by Rudyard Kipling, whose own son, John, was killed at the battle of Loos in 1915. The Bible reading was taken from Chapter 15 of St John’s Gospel and was read by Rev Jo Smart.

Following prayers led by Rev West, the congregation sang the hymn ‘O Valiant Hearts’, and then heard another war poem by Sassoon, ‘Twelve Months After’. A bugler played the Last Post and, during the silence which followed, a soldier in First World War uniform walked slowly up the nave and bowed at the altar. After a blessing, the service concluded with the hymn ‘O God, Our Help In Ages Past’.

Many of the congregation stayed behind afterwards for tea and biscuits which were served at the back of the church. The project was coordinated in Lezant by Bridget Pentreath and James Rider. The purchase of the silhouettes was made possible by a grant from The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust. The fund has an ‘Armistice and Armed Forces Communities Programme’ which aims to bring together serving members of the Armed Forces, veterans and their families and civilian communities. The silhouettes themselves are part of the 2018 Armistice project ‘There But Not There’ run by the charity Remembered, whose aim was to commemorate the fallen, to educate present generations and to heal those suffering mental or physical wounds caused by conflict.

A retiring collection was held in aid of the There But Not There charities and raised some £250.