A single poppy projection, “Tommy” silhouettes in the cathedral, the premiere of a specially commissioned Trench Symphony, a poignant slideshow of the City’s fallen, and the tower lit white for peace: this is how Wakefield Cathedral will mark the Centenary of the end of the First World War.
The Dean and Chapter of Wakefield Cathedral have just announced its programme of events and commemorations to mark this Armistice centenary with support from Wakefield Bid and Wakefield’s own Backstage Academy who will project a single poppy on the cathedral tower in the days before Remembrance Day before they turn it red for Remembrance and light the tower white for hope and peace in the world.
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Remembrance starts at Wakefield on Monday 5th November when the cathedral’s volunteer flower ladies will create two special floral displays for the Armistice centenary. That evening the first of two open singing workshops will take place to build a community choir for the specially commissioned Trench Symphony, led by composer Charlie Wells and funded with Heritage Lottery and Arts Council funding.
An appeal has gone out for photographs of Wakefield’s fallen to create Lest We Forget, a unique slideshow in the Cathedral that will be shown continuously from Armistice Day until the end of November as a stark reminder of all those from the city and district who lost their lives during World War 1.
Two “Tommies” will be installed in the cathedral – silhouettes of First World War soldiers – as part of the There But Not There campaign for the charity Remembered to raise funds for those suffering from the hidden wounds of war, and to educate all generations about why they made the ultimate sacrifice.
The commemorations over the weekend of the 10th and 11th November include solemn Acts of Remembrance both at Wakefield Cathedral and at the city’s War Memorial, a civic Festival of Remembrance, and a ‘Peal for Peace’ starting at 6pm on the 11th when the Cathedral Band of Ringers will take part in a nationwide marking of the hundredth anniversary of the 1918 Armistice.
The Dean of Wakefield, the Very Revd Simon Cowling said:
“The Cathedral has been the spiritual heart of our city for over a thousand years and belongs to us all. As we mark the hundredth anniversary of the 1918 Armistice, it is our privilege to invite all people to share in the programme of events at the Cathedral this Remembrance-tide.
“Now that the First World War has receded from living memory into history we need to look at new ways to connect ourselves with the young men and women of that generation who gave their lives.
“ Our slideshow, ‘Lest We Forget’ will be one of the important ways in which the cathedral will be helping the wider community to do just that.
“It is part of a series of commemorations over the weekend of the 10th and 11thNovember that include poppy planting and Acts of Remembrance and will end when we set fire to the beacon outside the cathedral and the cathedral is bathed in red light and the tower lit up white to symbolise hope and peace in our world.
“I hope that what we are offering will enable people of all faiths and no faith to feel a sense of community solidarity and to express a collective desire for peace and reconciliation between the nations.”
More about Remembrance Day here.
