Remembrance Service - 10th November 2023

Brownhills Ormiston Academy honours Armed Forces on Remembrance Day

Students and staff from the academy have come together to remember the sacrifice of the Armed Forces community with a reflective service and wreath-laying.  

The Brownhills academy has held an annual Remembrance Day Service for more than 30 years to remember the service men and women who lost their lives during the First World War and in all other wars since.

Those taking part in the remembrance service included all staff and students from the school, representatives from the Armed Forces, school Governors , and the executive central team from the academy’s sponsoring Trust, Ormiston Academies Trust (OAT). Alongside this, representatives from the Royal British Legion, the British charity which supports serving Armed Forces, their families, and veterans will be a central part of the service, and the local MP for Aldridge-Brownhills, Wendy Morton, will be attending to pay her respects with the local community.

The event is particularly significant as many Brownhills students have close relatives who have been involved or affected by conflicts, with the service providing an important opportunity for all those remembering to show the respect they feel for these brave men and women who have upheld our freedoms.

Those attending gathered in the academy’s sports hall to hear poems and readings which honour all those who have given their lives to defend peace and freedom. In a day that looks to peace and hope, the academy is showing an emotional film to remind all present of the sacrifice made and still being made today by those in the armed services.

Alongside students from the Combined Cadet Force, Mr Stevens, a music teacher at the academy, played the Last Post, one of the most distinctive military bugle calls which signifies the end of end of the day’s activities and is sounded at military funerals to indicate that the soldier has gone to his final rest. The service closed with local cadets taking the salute and escorting wreaths to the memorial plaque in the Remembrance Quad, which remembers the names of former Brownhills students who died in the First World War.

Ross Doodson, Assistant Principal at Brownhills Ormiston Academy, said:

“This is truly Brownhills Ormiston Academy at its best; students, staff and members of our community coming together to pay their respects, and honour those that have lost their lives in conflict. We are very proud to uphold this tradition.”

Video of Reflection