Garden of Remembrance opens next to St Mary’s Church in Tadley
A garden of remembrance has opened in Tadley so that residents can take a moment to remember those who lost their lives in times of war.
The garden, located outside St Mary’s Church, was opened on Tuesday, November 1, following a short service that was attended by local dignitaries and armed forces officials.
St Mary’s chaplain Charles Lewis organised the garden project and he delivered the opening service alongside minister of Main Road Methodist Church the Rev Dr Ruth Midcalf.
He said: “The whole concept of the garden is that it is there so we and everybody can remember those who died in the wars, and not just the First and Second World Wars, but all the wars there have been in the 20th and 21st Centuries.
“We think of service people, but there were a lot of civilians who were killed, particularly in the Second World War. It is an act of remembrance for all those who gave their lives.
“It is important that we as the current generations should not forget the sacrifice that people have made over the years in protecting this country in times of war.”
Mr Lewis encouraged all Tadley residents to visit the garden, place a cross, and take a moment out of their day to remember the lives lost.
He also thought the remembrance service was “very poignant” this year due to the “needless” war in Ukraine.
People that were present at the opening included commander of the local RAF air cadets squadron Flying Officer Richard Williams, and Royal British Legion Tadley branch secretary Walter Langer, who bore the branch’s standard at the event.
Tadley Town Council chairman Avril Burdett was the first person to place a poppy cross in the garden.
She said: “It is somewhere just opposite the dentist, near the school run, so that people can just drop their poppy crosses in and remember all those that we lost, not just those in Tadley but those that mean something to our residents.”
She also spoke of the importance the remembrance period held for the town.
“We lost quite a few during the wars, but then we have a lot of people living in Tadley that have come here from other parts of the country,” she said.
“They will also have people that they remember and have lost. It’s nice to have a place where you can just plant a cross and have a moment to remember them.”
The garden is open until Saturday, November 19. There will be a closing service at 3pm on that same day.