HYDERABAD: The British High Commission will observe Remembrance Sunday this weekend at the Church of St John the Baptist in Secunderabad. Built in 1813 for British Army personnel serving here, the church holds historical value due to its association with several British military engagements and memorials from the Second World War.
British deputy high commissioner Gareth Wynn Owen will attend the special service, which will feature the traditional sounding of ‘The Last Post’ by buglers to honour the fallen. The service will include readings and remembrances for war heroes, with the congregation joining in the solemn refrain, "We will remember them."
"The church committee and representatives from the high commission are working on the programmes and the service, which will take place this Sunday morning," said church secretary Mesa James Yesudas Samuel. Both the high commission and the church are preparing for the event to ensure a fitting tribute to those who have served.
The Church of St John the Baptist is also known for its world-class musical instruments. Among them is a rare and fully functional pipe organ installed in 1908. Measuring 10 feet by 15 feet, the organ boasts three layers with 765 pipes arranged in 10 ranks based on timbre and pitch, mounted vertically on a wind-chest.
It is one of only 400 such pipe organs in India, many of which are being dismantled.
The pipes produce music when pressurised air from bellows is driven through them. Commodore T.M.J. Champion (retd), a recipient of the Chief Minister's award, is closely associated with this instrument and has worked towards its preservation.
Remembrance Sunday serves as a day to honour the armed forces personnel and their families from Britain and the Commonwealth, acknowledging the vital role they played, and those who have lost their lives.
