PRAYER FOR THE COMMEMORATION OF THE CENTENARY OF THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME
For reflection please visit visit The Fallen of the Somme and The Flowers of the Forest the latter reflecting of the Menin Gate Memorial to the missing killed in action at Ypres and remembers two St. Michael’s people Robert Chalmers and Walter Sutton.
Please follow this link and then use the prayer below.
Eternal God, our refuge and strength,
on this day we remember before you
all who experienced the battle on the Somme:
those who faced the terrible waste and devastation,
who fought against all the odds, endured the clinging mud,
and the squalor of the trenches.
We recall with thanksgiving the loyalty shown to comrades and
the bravery of those who overcame their fear,
the courage of those who daily faced the pounding of artillery, gun-fire and shrapnel.
May we never forget the devastating loss of this battle,
the anxiety on the home-front,
and the sacrifices that were made.
Through our remembrances today, strengthen our resolve
to oppose naked aggression, to defend the weak,
and to speak your word of peace in times of conflict and insecurity. This we ask in the name of the Prince of peace,
our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
All Amen.
In the church there is a Great War Roll of Honour listing those men from the parish who died in that war. It is not comprehensive as none of these parish tributes are but it does show the level of loss incurred by just one parish here in Bristol.
The prime source of data is the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) database, supplemented by information from the 1901 Census (Cen) or the “Soldiers died in the Great War” (SDGW) database which was created separately from the CWGC and contains further information
Click on the name to see both the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) record plus any addition information