School pupils remember service men and women ahead of Armistice Day

Pupils from Brougham Primary School place poppy wreaths beside the tree in memory of former teacher Joseph Jobling.

Pupils from Brougham Primary School in Hartlepool gathered around a weeping willow tree that has been planted on the school grounds in tribute to former teacher Bombardier Joseph Jobling, who was killed in action on September 18, 1917 at Ypres.

In the run up to the service, pupils in nursery right up to those in Year 6, were involved in making poppy wreaths which were place around the tree.

Dene Community School pupils Katelyn Daniels and Christopher Pearson add their poppy's to the school Remembrance Garden.

The service was led by Father Graeme Buttery from St Oswald’s Church, who is also the chairman of governors at the school.

The service was also attended by three standard bearers, including Tug Wilson, who is the a member of the Hartlepool Combined Ex-Servicemen’s Association.

Sarah Blake, business manager, was pleased with how well the service had gone.

She said: “The children normally go to the war memorial for the Armistice Service each year, but this year it fell on a weekend. “We wanted to do something with the children as we think it is important thing for them to take part in.

Dene Community School pupils Katelyn Daniels adds her poppy to the school Remembrance Garden.

“A ex-member of staff called Joseph Jobling was killed a number of years ago in Ypres on September 18, 1917, and we wanted to commemorate that, so we planted a weeping willow on the grounds so that the children would see it regularly and it would become a part of our history.

“We also had our longest serving teachers and our newest teachers plant the tree together.

“It was lovely and the children all laid the wreaths they had made around the tree before we held a minute’s silence.”

Meanwhile pupils at Dene Community School in Peterlee also paid tribute the occasion by creating a display of more than 300 poppies at the school ahead of Remembrance Sunday.

Design and technology head Rochelle Lainé said the poppies, which have been displayed at the front of the school, had been made in the style of artist Paul Cummins, who had designed the poppies outside of the Tower of London.

She said: “The children in Year 7 art and year 8 design and technology made different styles of poppies.

“They made ceramic poppies by hand in art with head of art Natalie Coyne and laser cut poppies in design and technology. “The poppies were different colours - red to represent the soldiers who had fallen, purple to represent the animals who had fallen and then we had a big white poppy to represent peace.

“The children made them this week over the course of two lessons.”