It’s always good to hear from old friend of the blog and respected elder of Brownhills, John Bird a man I’ve always respected, not just for his activities with and in support of the local Royal British Legion and Remembrance, but for his concise, sharp commentary on local matters.

St James’ Church, Brownhills: Image from my 365days journal.

This week John wrote to me touchingly of the observance of the passing of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, and how local folk from The Legion and other organisations marked the funeral of this much respected figure.

John wrote:

Remembering Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

A number of ex-service members of the Brownhills branch of the Royal British Legion expressed a desire to attend the Cenotaph at St. James’ church in Brownhills to declare their sincere sympathy for the demise of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, on the day of his funeral.

After seeking advice from the Police Authorities they attended the Cenotaph just before 3:00 pm. on the Saturday. It was a pleasant surprise when the vicar came over and asked if she may say a few words together with a prayer.

Image from BBC Online.

One minute’s silence was observed together with the lowering of the Legion’s Standard. It was at this point two uniformed members of T.S. Vigo arrived and paid their respects with one minute’s silence.

All of this was a spontaneous response by everyone present and did not exceed the limit of six people as required and not forgetting social distancing thus complying with pandemic guidelines.

This was a simple gesture that felt somewhat comforting.

John Bird
Brownhills.

That’s a wonderfully touching thing: Thank you John for sharing this with Brownhills. I trust we find you in good health at this difficult time?

John Bird has periodically written clear, eloquent and concise letters to the local press – the ones that have always stuck in mind have been the ones relating to the development and plans for Brownhills High Street, and he’s written some brilliant stuff over the years including one recently that provoked much debate on the subject of Remembrance parade funding.

John was also in touch some time ago to tell us that the Legion are there for the community and ex-service folk and that the local branch is always looking for new members.

Again, thanks to John for sharing an excellent, touching report.