It was a pleasure to be invited to take the official images for Boxted’s tribute to both those who fought in WW1 – and the people back home who kept the village going through desperate times.
This centenary event – The Eve of Peace Concert – was expertly organised by Annette Whybrow at St Peter’s Church, Boxted.
The Church was packed full, with the Boxted Methodist Silver Band positioned in the choir stalls and WW1 memorabilia beautifully displayed in the churches windows and alcoves. There was a great family atmosphere – with all ages present from Boxted Primary School pupils right through to our village’s oldest residents.
The schoolchildren presented a project of what life in Boxted would look like in a further hundred years, Boxted Amateur Players enacted a touching scene of a soldier, mother and wife reading genuine letters from wartime – and many villagers read poems and book excerpts which brought the wartime years to life in poignant detail.
The Silver Band played rousing tunes and the extremely talented Joanna Arnold sang both sad wartime laments and uplifting songs – such as ‘Caberet’ and ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square’.
We had delicious refreshments in the interval, kindly provided by Boxted WI.
The villagers thoroughly enjoyed the evening, which was rounded off with us all singing a stirring rendition of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’.
Here is my gallery of images of the event ….
