St Mary Redcliffe Church Parish Magazine - July/August 2018

e portions of the old organ case which stood at the west end of church
erected in 1726.
1916
Sunday 23rd February — “The first Sunday since new ‘lighting’ arrangements
in church have been used owing to Zeppelin raids. No bells at
Evensong. All light shaded and very limited numbers used, A few candles,
standing alight in various places in case the whole of the electric light is
switched off at the power station”.
Maundy Thursday: 7.45am celebration in Lady Chapel — “boys in
chancel as usual and big organ used. First time this experiment has been
used and remarkably successful”.
23rd July — Cyril Broodbank, a tenor in SMR choir, was killed in active
service in France aged 25, having enlisted in March 2015. His brother
Percival was also killed in action in 1917.
1917
4th March — The Vicar’s last Sunday before going to France as an Army
Chaplain, returning back on 27th January 1918.
Thursday 24th May — The choirmen caught the train to Portishead to
walk the coast path to Clevedon (seven miles).
9th September — Ralph Morgan, Redcliffe Organist travels to Blackpool
to enlist. He was discharged on 1st March 1919. There are very few records
of the music or the choir from later in 1917 and 1918.
Some of the Evensong items sung one hundred years ago still form part
of our repertoire in 2018 — Harwood in Ab, Walmsley in D minor, and
Stanford in Bb. The only communion service which is still sung regularly
is Stanford in Bb.
Sunday 3rd April 1932
The Choir War Memorial above the verger’s vestry in the North Choir Aisle was
dedicated, unveiled by Mr E A Broodbank, a chorister of 38 years’ standing
who lost two sons in the war. The anthem Greater Love by John Ireland was
sung at Evensong and the hymn For All The
Saints Who From Their Labours Rest was sung.
One Hundred Years On: 2014–2018
On Monday 4th August 2014 ‘Redcliffe
Remembers’ hosted a concert of Karl Jenkins
The Armed Man, sung by Noctis, Organum
and Corsham Choral Society with orchestral
accompaniment, conducted by Francis Faux.
Susan Vincent carried out research into her
two uncles, Albert and William Elmes, who
died in the First World War. Both were choirmen
at the church. She also researched the
lives of the fourteen other choirmen who died in action and produced
a very informative booklet on their lives. If you would like to see a copy,
please contact the Parish office — a donation of £2 is requested for a copy
of the booklet.
In the St John’s Chapel can be seen four panels created by schoolchildren
from Horfield and our St Mary Redcliffe Choristers over the past four
years. In the chorister panel, the poppies are made from red paper onto
which was photocopied excerpts from Faure’s Requiem and other anthems
suitable for Remembrance. If you haven’t seen these panels, I commend
them to you!
Saturday 10th November 3–4pm: our choirs will give a short concert of
music suitable for Remembrance, with tea and cake to follow afterwards.
Please make a note of this date and encourage others to attend too. Tickets
£5 with proceeds from the concert being given to the British Legion.
Sunday 11th November: there will be the Service of Eucharist at 9.30am
followed by the Act of Remembrance at 11am. The Evening service takes a
different format from Evensong, with contributions from the local community.
The service starts at 6pm and will end at 7pm with the lighting of a beacon.
Andrew Kirk, Director of Music