Remembrance Day: Reflecting on the Impact of War on a Community
On the morning of 11 November, the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community came together to commemorate Remembrance Day, an annual tradition with deep and significant meaning to the Dulwich community.
Remembering the Impact of War through the Lens of Old Alleynians
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The tradition of Remembrance Day was introduced in 1919 to honour the millions of soldiers who lost their lives in World War I (1914-1918). Remembrance Day is particularly poignant for Dulwich College. Over 3000 Old Alleynians fought in World War I. Tragically 530 of these young men died. Indeed, 9 Old Alleynians fell on a single day in a battle on 25 September, 1915. It’s sobering to reflect upon the profound sense of loss that must have been felt by the Dulwich community at that time.
To find out more about Dulwich College and World War I, we encourage you to visit ‘Dulwich College: The Fallen of the Great War’ at https://dulwichcollege1914-18.co.uk
In reflection of the impact World War I had on the Dulwich College community, in this year’s Remembrance Day assembly we started by recalling the stories of some of those Old Alleynians whose lives were lost;
Reflection through Poetry
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Our students performed a series of poems they had written about the tragic impacts of war;
The Indiscriminate Impact of War
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Of course, the World Wars are described as such because their impact was felt far beyond the borders of Europe. In this years’ assembly, students took turns commemorating the lives of soldiers and notable figures from a range of diverse backgrounds who played important roles in the wars;
Interpreting Poetry through Performance
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Finally, the student theatre group performed an interpretation of the poem, In Flanders Fields;
Remembrance Day is an important annual tradition at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi. We firmly believe that unless we can learn from the lessons of the past, we are bound to repeat the same mistakes made before us. As we aspire to create a safe and prosperous future where nations come together in dignity and mutual respect, we must remember the dire consequences of failing to do so.
