The Wykehamist
Remembrance Sunday
“ They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.”
On Sunday 9 November 2025, the Winchester College community gathered in solemn observance of Remembrance Sunday. Our annual Service of Remembrance brought together pupils, staff, parents, and alumni in reflection and gratitude for those who gave their lives in the service of others.
The school first gathered in Chapel and Michla for the Service for Remembrance. Subsequently, led in by the CCF Colour party and the College Colours, the whole school community gathered in War Cloister for the two minute silence. After the sombre notes of the bagpipe lament Going Home marked the end the of the ceremony, those gathered quietly dispersed.
War Cloister was the vision of Headmaster Montague Rendall and was originally designed as a memorial to the 500 Wykehamists killed during the First World War. Winchester lost a generation of young men to the Great War, all men Rendall would have known personally. Their names are engraved on the outer walls, while those Wykehamists who died in the Second World War are listed on the inner columns. Recorded on the stone corbels and beams of the roof are the badges of the 120 regiments in which Old Wykehamists served. Work began in 1922, and the memorial was dedicated by the Duke of Connaught on 31 May 1924. It remains the largest private war memorial in Europe.
During the First World War, 2,488 members of the Winchester community served in the armed forces and 514 died, serving predominantly in the army. In the Second World War, 2,455 Wykehamists served, and 285 lost their lives. However, the World Wars were not the first conflicts in which Wykehamists had laid down their lives: in the Boer War, an estimated 393 Wykehamists served and 35 were killed, while in the Crimean War, 60 served and 14 died.
Each year, Remembrance Sunday reminds us of the storied history of our nation and the part our school has played in it. Since 1945, Wykehamists have continued to serve the country, making the ultimate sacrifice: giving their today for our tomorrow.
Alexander Parkinson( G, 2021-)
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