This year, to mark Remembrance Day, Downside Abbey is holding a series of events to remember the sacrifice and experiences of those linked to Downside Abbey and School who served and were killed in conflict during the two World Wars.

Many ex-pupils of the school and members of the monastic community were involved in these wars with a great number giving their lives.

Downside Abbey Church is, in part, itself a war memorial. The nave, completed in 1925, was built as a memorial to those Old Gregorians of Downside School who gave their lives during the Great War. On the west end wall of the nave is a plaque with the names of 107 men who were killed between 1914 – 1919, commemorating the huge loss of life suffered by Downside.

There will be an online talk on the 11th November at 1pm which will explore some of the stories of those men, including the five sets of brothers killed and the story of one man who spent eight days in no man’s land surviving by sucking on his wet uniform for water.

We are also running special Downside and the War Abbey Church tours which will explore the many memorials and stories within the Abbey relating to the impact of war on the site. The tours are running on Monday, 15th November at 10 am and 1.30 pm.

There will be an exhibition of material in the Abbey Church as well, running from the 10th to the 19th November which relates to the role of Downside in both World Wars. The exhibition is free and open from 10am – 4pm every day.

Tickets for the online talk and the Abbey tours can be booked at: https://www.downsideabbey.co.uk/product-category/events/library-events/

Steve Parsons