Beckingham and Saundby hosted a particularly memorable Remembrance Day this year. Ten months ago, the village History Group, led by Freda Proudley and Maxine Downes, set an ambitious goal to expand their existing poppy display from 800 to 8,000 poppies. Through monthly ‘Knit and Natter’ sessions and social media appeals, over 30 contributors began crafting and dropping off more than 700 poppies each month.
The target was not only met but exceeded, culminating in an impressive display installed on the village green and extending to the War Memorial.
Beckingham School supported the initiative with Years 5 and 6 students studying the war years as part of their curriculum. The students created a map highlighting local areas of war interest and, on Armistice Day, walked the route before arriving at The Green. There, villagers, including the ‘poppy ladies’, a bugler (Eddie Blaylock), members of the Royal British Legion, and ITV Calendar News reporter Jon Hill, awaited their arrival.
Debbie Morris, chair of the Parish Council, led the event, paying tribute to the 15 fallen soldiers from Beckingham and Saundby from both World Wars. She also commemorated the soldiers of the Kohima Battle, marking its 80th anniversary in 2024. Thanks were extended to everyone involved in creating the poppy display, including sponsors. Children were then invited to place individual poppies within a larger poppy template marked out on The Green.
ITV Calendar interviewed local resident Simon Lamb, whose mother, Christian Lamb, was instrumental in creating maps to guide servicemen during the D-Day landings. Christian Lamb, now 104, was awarded the Légion d’Honneur by President Macron earlier this year at a Normandy 80th Anniversary event attended by King Charles and the Queen Consort.
Debbie Morris invited attendees to the Recreation Room to view various History Group displays, which included information on the village’s fallen soldiers, the Kohima Battle, and Christian Lamb’s contributions.
A separate Remembrance Service was held at the War Memorial on Sunday 10th November, an annual tradition. This area, too, was adorned with poppies in tribute.