HUNDREDS of students, staff and veterans paid their respects to the those who died in the First World War by unveiling a memorial in their honour.
Holy Trinity CofE Secondary School in Gossops Green held an emotional remembrance event in the school grounds on Thursday morning with students from all year groups attending.
The ceremony came less than three weeks before the centenary of when Britain declared war on Germany, on August 4, 1914.
Members of the Royal British Legion and Royal Naval Association in Crawley attended the event at the school off Buckswood Drive.
Roy Foster, 87, ex-Royal Navy officer on HMS Sheffield, became particularly emotional when he placed a reef at the memorial.
Bob Elkington, premises manager at Holy Trinity who worked with staff and students to prepare the memorial, said: "Every single student impeccably recognised the memorial service. You could hear a pin drop.
"We started working on the memorial in May when the Royal Naval Association gave me some poppy seeds. Unfortunately these didn't germinate in time so we planted more and those bloomed in a fitting sombre colour. I hope in years to come we will have proper red poppies from Flanders Fields in the memorial patch.
"The school created a commemorative plaque and I have placed two 18lb shrapnel shells in the memorial that I brought back from Flanders.
"We have named the memorial 'Silent Picket' after the German screw picket I also picked up in Flanders and installed in the memorial.
"Sandbags have been installed around it and it all adds to give the memorial an authentic touch.
"The students will be able to help me maintain and tend to the memorial. They have also been given small crosses with poppies on them to write their own messages which will be placed in the ground.
"I would like the memorial to remain in the school grounds at least until 2019, which would be 100 years since the peace talks at Treaty of Versailles."
In military tradition The Last Post was performed on the bugle by student Johnny Lewis Brown.
Reverend Malcolm Liles, from St John the Baptist Church in Crawley town centre, and head boy Oliver Martin gave speeches at the service.
Malcolm Elliott, standard bearer for the Crawley and Ifield Royal British Legion, said: "It was a very moving event and the memorial will act as a reminder to students and staff of the sacrifices made by those in the Great War."
