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The Falklands War, service of remembrance
Posted by Mark 15 Jun 2007
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The Falkland Islands Memorial Chapel is set in the grounds of Pangbourne College, near Reading. It is a highly appropriate site as the college was formerly a Naval college and still has a strong Naval tradition - and a useful body of uniformed parade-drilled students to put on a good show when there are special occasions. The Chapel itself is inspired by the hull of a ship and inside it is extremely light and airy. At the sides of the main hall are two small rooms, one set up as a multimedia history of the Falklands War, the other is the SAMA Garden of Remembrance, a virtual on-line memorial to the fallen.
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The service was attended by the Queen and Prince Philip, and many of "the great and the good". Mrs Thatcher was by far the most admired of those and caused the greatest excitement when she arrived. Prime Minister Tony Blair and Cherie were also there, along with Des Brown and Margaret Beckett, while on the military side there were many serving top brass and all the key players from 1982, including of course Admiral Woodward and "Man of the Match" Major General Julian Thompson. Tickets were at a premium and priority was given to relatives of the fallen although there were still a good number of veterans there.
I was surprised and impressed with the media coverage there, especially the BBC which broadcast the whole service live. Had I know that in advance, I would have recorded it. It was a relatively short service, and afterwards the guests assembled in a huge marquee for a very up-market buffet lunch, complete with champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries. I stayed behind at the chapel to "man" the Garden or Remembrance room where there was a slow but steady trickle of relatives wandering in to look around.
There is always a lot of emotion on these occasions, and today it is twenty five years since they lost their loved-one. Mothers and fathers were there of course, but also wives, girlfriends, children and brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles. You don't realise how many members of a family are affected by a death. Bringing up a page can result in sudden tears when they see the face of their dearly missed husband, son or brother. They would tell me their tale and I would listen, trying hard at times to remain composed, but I would point out that many people visit the on-line Garden and view the pages, and they are thus remembered. The overwhelming feeling is one of great pride.
But there was laughter, too. It was not at all funereal, and when I did make it down to the marquee for a bite there was a huge buzz of conversation going on as relatives shared experiences and veterans shared jokes and memories. The media were mingling with the congregation, interviewing left, right and centre. Everyone had a take to tell, everyone wanted to talk, they were positive and upbeat about the whole situation. Their relative had made the ultimate sacrifice, but I don't think there was anyone there who thought for a moment it was wasted.
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