A time of Remembrance alongside OHS Assembly Time of Remembering

2014 - A poignant and significant year for a very special Remembrance season. Surrounding the 11th November, Oban High School has taken time during Clan 'Chaplaincy Assembly week' to consider the word 'remember', The focus has been particularly on the personal battles that people have, whether in the horror of war 100 years ago, considering those throughout the Bible or students' own situations. 

From WW1, many stories of the personal battles of soldiers were shared within the gatherings including, Lt. Col. John McCrae, writer of the famous war poem 'In Flanders Fields', Valentine Joe Strudwick, the youngest soldier in WW1 at 14 and Henry Webber, the oldest soldier in WW1 at 68. 

 

Having spent time reflecting on the personal battles many of us face including the day-to-day 'little' things and some of the bigger battles we might face, these were considered alongside Biblical characters such as Noah, Joseph, Ruth, Samson and David, with an explanation that these folks also faced their own personal battles that many of us might relate to.Jesus's battle-filled journey, from Gethsemane, to the cross to the grave to resurrection was shared by the Chaplains, explaining the Christian belief in the love and hope God has for each of us due to Jesus's decision to undertake such battles.

Further to the week of assemblies, the setting was in place for the OHS Time of Remembrance.

S4 pupils were led through the occasion by students from the June 2014 Battlefields Trip. In advance of the 2 minutes of silence at 11am, consideration was given to 'Why we remember', How we remember', 'The Battlefields experience' and 'Remembering relatives'. The citation read by the one of the school captains, the bugles played, the Flowers of the Forest rang out through the school and fitting tribute was made to the sacrifice of the fallen.

A big thank you must go to many for bringing the week's events together. OHS History department and pupils, cadets who attended, buglers, pipers and the Chaplaincy team.