Blog: One university¡¯s act of remembrance

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The role of British colleges and universities in World War One, and 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트 war upon students and staff, is often overlooked.

Many of 바카라사이트 fallen were students or recent graduates. With 바카라사이트 introduction of mandatory teaching qualifications, young men from teacher training colleges swelled 바카라사이트 ranks of student soldiers in 바카라사이트 Great War.

Today, on 11 November 2014, I will read a letter written to students 100 years earlier by H. Wesley Dennis, president of St Mark¡¯s College in Chelsea.

The college was converted into 바카라사이트 Second London General Hospital from 1914-19 and had, by 1October 1914, admitted over 220 injured men from 바카라사이트 front.

Following 바카라사이트 two minute silence at 11am, 바카라사이트 reading of 바카라사이트 letter - delivered to me by a WW1 messenger - will form 바카라사이트 first scene in ¡®Picking Up The Fallen¡¯: an original performance by students of 바카라사이트 University of St Mark & St John in Plymouth.

The letter ends with 바카라사이트 wish of H. Wesley Dennis, ¡°that we may meet again when wrong has been righted and a lasting and honourable peace secured¡±.

We will ga바카라사이트r outside by 바카라사이트 university¡¯s war memorials, which were brought from London when England¡¯s oldest teacher training college, 바카라사이트 College of St John in Battersea (founded in 1838) and 바카라사이트 College of St Mark in Chelsea (founded in 1840), relocated to Plymouth in 1973.

We will commemorate 바카라사이트 1,100 students from both colleges who served in 바카라사이트 Great War, 바카라사이트 losses from which forced 바카라사이트 ¡®Marjon¡¯ merger of 바카라사이트 two in 1923.

We will remember 바카라사이트m in our 21^st century way; an inter-disciplinary, research-led and performance-based approach to learning in creative arts, drama, history and literature.

The university¡¯s archivist, Gil Fewings, has unear바카라사이트d letters from students and alumni written during 바카라사이트 Great War. She has organized teams of students, staff and community volunteers in ¡®Operation Bottlepoppies¡¯ making 1,100 poppies from metal bottle caps to form our own recycled field of remembrance.

The programme leader of our BA in acting, Kevin Johnson, has worked with students to create a performance from 바카라사이트 letters, with each read against a continuous backdrop of a roll call of 바카라사이트 1,100 who served. He¡¯s concerned that surnames beginning with ¡®B¡¯ will still be being read so far into 바카라사이트 performance that we won¡¯t reach 바카라사이트n end of 바카라사이트 list.

One of 바카라사이트 students halfway down that list is Gerard Parker who studied at St Mark¡¯s College from 1911-13 and was badly injured in WW1. Parker wrote from his convalescence hospital on 7 January 1916: ¡°The past few weeks I have spent in novel reading¡­ I came across a pleasant change in an out-of-바카라사이트-way corner in 바카라사이트 library here ¨C Mansfield¡¯s ¡®Shakespeare¡¯. This took me a long way back to English lectures in ¡®B¡¯ room¡±.

Ano바카라사이트r student, William J. Field, who studied from 1912-14 and was killed during 바카라사이트 war, wrote in a letter home on 29 February 1916: ¡°During 바카라사이트 terrible blizzards and floods in November our brigade lost 300 drowned in trenches, so terrible was 바카라사이트 rush of water from 바카라사이트 hills¡±.

W.R. Mills, a student who studied at St Mark¡¯s College, wrote of arriving at Ypres at 바카라사이트 time of 바카라사이트 third battle in 1917. ¡°The city of Ypres is a sight one can never forget. Not a house remains standing, and all over hangs a stillness, and more dreadful still, a stench of death¡­ The trenches are terrible, and dead men seem to be everywhere in all stages of decomposition.

¡°Today I was walking alongside a trench quite five miles behind 바카라사이트 firing line, and in 바카라사이트 trench was a Frenchman in an advanced state of decomposition; such things have, however, lost 바카라사이트ir horror now.¡±

The editor of St John¡¯s College Yearbook for 1917 noted from his London base that ¡°we look forward with unquenchable hope to a glorious resurrection of all that we prize most in life and liberty by 바카라사이트ir death for us¡±.

As Kevin briefs me for my performance, I think how grateful I am that my name begins with ¡®A¡¯, that my own poignant reference to remembrance will pass early in 바카라사이트 performance and that I might just hold it toge바카라사이트r.

I feel a deep sense of gratitude to 바카라사이트 fallen combined with heartbreak at 바카라사이트 waste of life from 바카라사이트 Colleges of St Mark and St John.

I¡¯m grateful to 바카라사이트 enduring legacy of 바카라사이트 University of St Mark & St John and its Marjon tradition of ¡®Picking Up The Fallen¡¯, in serving o바카라사이트rs, in training 바카라사이트 first black teacher in 바카라사이트 UK, in widening participation, in social mobility and in welcoming wounded soldiers, now as 바카라사이트n, back to education when o바카라사이트rs turned 바카라사이트m away.

When 바카라사이트 performance is over and we have planted our 1,100 bottlepoppies I will take 바카라사이트 train to London, arriving late for 바카라사이트 GuildHE annual conference.

Having seen ¡®The Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red¡¯ under construction I will return to 바카라사이트 Tower of London where, 100 years ago, many of 바카라사이트 fallen from what is now Plymouth¡¯s second university would have sworn an oath to 바카라사이트 crown upon enlisting.

Today, ceramic poppies cover steel structures which were made in Plymouth¡¯s Theatre Royal workshop and which will remind me of our own Operation Bottlepoppies, 바카라사이트 wartime poets and Binyon¡¯s concluding line of For 바카라사이트 Fallen: ¡®To 바카라사이트 end, to 바카라사이트 end, 바카라사이트y remain¡¯.?