An amateur film by David Williams of a memorial service taking place beside the Bede College Memorial Cross in Durham in memory of the Bede Men who fell at Gravenstafel Ridge on the 25th April 1915. The film shows various speeches being given, prayers said and hymns sung with music provided by the Burma Band of the 7th Battalion The (Durham) Light Infantry who stand nearby. Following the playing of ‘The Last Post’ , a wreath is laid and the service brought to a close. The film part of the...

An amateur film by David Williams of a memorial service taking place beside the Bede College Memorial Cross in Durham in memory of the Bede Men who fell at Gravenstafel Ridge on the 25th April 1915. The film shows various speeches being given, prayers said and hymns sung with music provided by the Burma Band of the 7th Battalion The (Durham) Light Infantry who stand nearby. Following the playing of ‘The Last Post’ , a wreath is laid and the service brought to a close. The film part of the film shows the Burah Band performing on stage. The film begins with a view of the cross atop the Bede College War Memorial Cross. Title: A Service in Memory of the Bede Men who fell at Gravenstafel Ridge on April 25th, 1915 The film cuts to show a view of a small crowd standing around the memorial and a military band standing in the background. A woman makes her way onto the stone pedestal beside the memorial and comes to stand beside three men, one of whom, a military chaplain, is speaking to the congregation opening this service of remembrance. He is a former student of Bede who served in the 8th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) until it was disbanded in 1967. He continues to praise Bede College for its teacher training as well as the college's continued association with the county regiment. The film cuts to an archive photo of men from the regiment with their rifles held up. The chaplain tells the crowd the story of the battle of Gravenstafel Ridge near Ypres in April 1915 that claimed the lives of 11 Bede men. As he continues to speak the film intercuts with archive film footage, photographs, pictures and maps of the area to illustrate the story. The military chaplain hands over the service to the man on his left, the current chaplain to Bede College who leads the congregation in a series of prayers. The military chaplain then introduces the woman seen previously as the president of the S.R.C. As she reads from Psalm 46 the film cuts to a view looking towards Durham Cathedral in the distance with the memorial nearby. On a high level path nearby a bugler performs ‘The Last Post’. As he continues to play, text of the memorial to the fallen of Gravenstafel Ridge is shown. A view of the cross atop the memorial is shown during a minutes silence. The bugler begins to perform a second tune and views of the names written on the memorial appear. The military brass band begin to perform and the congregation begin to sing a hymn. General views follow of both. With the hymn over, the third man on the stone pedestal, a retired Colonel from the DLI, lays a wreath. The military band begins to perform again and there is a view of the wreath resting against the memorial. The service ends with the Bede College chaplain leading the congregation in pray. The band begin to perform again. The film ends with the Burah Band of the DLI performing on a stage, a conductor at the front leads the musicians. End title: The Burah Band of the Durham Light Infantry April 19th, 1997 [Over the emblem of the college the closing title] End title: College of St Hild and St Bede Durham University