Students and teaching staff from the Royal Hospital School (RHS), in Holbrook, Ipswich, gathered on Friday 16th September to commemorate the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The commemorative service, held at the chapel on site at the school, was led by RHS Chaplain, the Rev Dr Philip McConnell, and included reflections from members of the school community, who had either met, served or had personal memories of The Queen.
The emotive reflections came from Head Boy Toby Chavasse, who grew up in Kenya and lived close to Treetops where The Queen first heard of the news that her father had passed away and that she was to ascend to the throne. Along with Tim Carleston, a housemaster at RHS, who was previously a Lay Clerk in the Choir of St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and met Her Majesty on many occasions speaking about his personal interactions with The Queen. Sarah Williamson, Head of Business and Economics at RHS, also shared her reflections having previously served in the Army prior to becoming a teacher and spoke about how The Queen was head of the armed forces and their commander-in-chief.
The Choir were accompanied by RHS Organist Emeritus Peter Crompton performing several traditional hymns, including ‘The Lord’s My Shepherd’ which was chosen because it was said to have been a personal favourite of The Queen, and was also performed at her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947.
Throughout the whole ceremony, the Queen’s Banner, given to the school by Her Majesty, was laid on the school’s ceremonial drums. In addition, four of the RHS Guard Commanders stood in vigil next to a hand-crafted felt image of The Queen, created by pupils and staff to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday.
Simon Lockyer, Headmaster at RHS, said: “This service was extremely important for our community to come together to commemorate The Queen and her associations with our school. Her commitment to service is a core value that is highly valued and recognised by many members of our alumni, staff and pupil body.”
Categories: Royal Hospital School School News
