Remembrance Day 2022

Remembrance Service at Hazlegrove is always a special moment for the School community to reflect on the fallen.

28 Old Hazlegrovians have lost their lives in the service of their country and each year, the whole School joins together for a Service of Remembrance at which current Hazlegrove children lay a ceramic poppy to commemorate the former pupils. The School was joined this year by Lt Colonel Sheldrick who read the ‘The Soldier’ and whose children attend the School. A tribute on the bagpipes from teacher, Andrew Cranfield whose pupils include Lt Colonel Sheldrick’s son, always helps to mark this date in the School’s calendar.

Andrew Cranfield was recently given a set of pipes by Elizabeth Kirton which had belonged to her brother, Canon Peter Allen, whose son attended Hazlegrove. Peter Allen, who has sadly passed away, was an exceptional man and a polymath. He served in the Black Watch, something of which he was very proud, and he always wore his Black Watch trews as a priest.  A bagpipe player himself, Lt Colonel Sheldrick was commissioned into the Black Watch and it was a fitting tribute and opportunity for Lt Col Sheldrick to present the pipes to one of Andrew Cranfield’s upcoming bagpipe pupils, Alec M-F who is ready to move onto the full set of pipes. Lt Col Sheldrick said, ‘I commissioned into The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) and heard wonderful stories about Peter, what an honour to be able to do this’.

Andrew Cranfield said, ‘I have had the pipes engraved with some details from Peter Allen's achievements.  He was a wonderful man and we have strong connections both as a family and through Hazlegrove Prep School, our children were born in the same ward together and were great friends during their time at Hazlegrove and King’s Bruton’.  

Headmaster, Ed Benbow added, ‘It was a real pleasure to welcome Lt Colonel Sheldrick to the School today and to have him join our Service of Remembrance. We are very grateful to him for making the presentation of the pipes to Alec, what a wonderful illustration of the reach of connection and community across Hazlegrove’.  

Click here to see all the photographs on Flickr