BRATTON’s branch of the Royal British Legion is gearing up for its centenary celebrations of poppy collections, talks and its annual remembrance service.
This year the Bratton RBL will be commemorating the centenary of WW1 beginning on Saturday 27th October with the village house-to-house poppy appeal collection which will include the sale of special centenary poppy badges.
On Monday 29th October, the giant poppy will retake its place on Piquet Hill overlooking the village where it will remain until Monday 12th November.
On the evening of Saturday 10th November there will be a poppy talk held in the Church Institute Building beginning at 6pm, followed by supper in The Duke.
On Sunday 11th November, the Remembrance Day service will be held at St James’ Church beginning at 9.30am, where music will be provided by members of the Bratton Silver Band. Following the Church Service, all will move to the Bratton Village War Memorial.
The Bratton Silver Band will accompany members of the Bratton Branch of the RBL as they march from the Church Institute to the War Memorial arriving at 11am to join villagers for the Last Post, the two minutes silence and Reveille.
The names of the ‘fallen from Bratton’ in both world wars will be read out and wreaths laid on behalf of the RBL men’s and women’s sections, The Armed Forces, the parish council, guides and brownies.
The service will include the re-dedication of the refurbished War Memorial and be concluded by children reciting the Kohima Epitaph. The wall behind the memorial will be decorated with hundreds and hundreds of knitted poppies kindly provided by The Bratton WI.
Following the service, light refreshments will be provided by the ladies of The Bratton Baptist Church and then there will be a traditional curry lunch for RBL members, friends and villages in the Jubilee Hall beginning at 12.30pm.
