Wokingham’s pacifist remembrance event on Saturday, November 11 will be at a new site – Howard Palmer Gardens.
All are welcome, people with a faith and those with none. The remembrance starts at 12.30pm and lasts for about an hour.
“It will be a reflective, quiet vigil. If people are moved to say something or bring a piece of prose or a short poem to read out they are welcome to do so,” said David Chapman, a Peace Pledge Union member who initiated the event.
“We will remember all victims of war, all nationalities, civilian and military people. We are about challenging war and militarism.
“These days over 90% of those killed or maimed in wars are in fact civilians who want to live in peace with their neighbour.”
Mr Chapman, a retired social worker added: “People need to talk rather than fight. They managed to do that in Northern Ireland.
“War is the breakdown of diplomacy. If ordinary men and women refused to pick up arms and kill neighbours, then leaders would have to keep on talking. Other than fighting between themselves, there would be no other option.”
He declined to comment on the conflict this week in the Middle East.
Previously the pacifist remembrance event has been at All Saints churchyard in Wokingham. It’s hoped Howard Palmer Gardens, diagonally opposite the Denton/Sturges Road junctions, will be easier for those with mobility problems. There is a car park nearby.
Anyone with questions can email Mr Chapman at: davidchapman781@btinternet.com
