Tag Archive for: Remembrance Day

You are here: / Remembrance Day

Posts

Corps Security Remembers The Fallen

To mark Remembrance Day this year, a team from Corps Security will today lay wreaths at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey, where many of our fallen soldiers are buried. The group, led by Diz Sollesse who is an honorary Australian Commissionaire, includes former serviceman and Corps regional operations director Nigel Horne, Corps CEO Mike Bullock and managing director Paul Lotter.

The group will place three wreaths to represent soldiers from the UK, Canada and Australia at the obelisk which commemorates our founder Captain Sir Edward Walter who set up the Corps of Commissionaires to provide employment for former servicemen returning from the Crimean War.. They will also reflect at several graves of significant commissionaires such as Lance-Corporal James Hollowell from the 78th Highlanders and Drum Major William Kenny from the Gordon Highlanders who both hold the Victoria Cross.

The Corps of Commissionaires reserved an area of the cemetery as a burial ground for our members and their families shortly after we were founded in 1859. Over the years our plot has fallen into disrepair but thanks to a Corps heritage project, restoration has begun and teams have been busy clearing and restoring graves and trimming back the undergrowth. The group will be able to see the progress already made.

This coming Sunday, Remembrance Sunday, Nigel Horne will lead eight officers in the march past the Cenotaph, laying a further three wreaths. This will be followed by a Regimental lunch at the Naval & Military Club in St. James’s Square.

We are proud of our military links and Remembrance Day firmly connects us to our 162-year-old military roots. Following more muted celebrations last year thanks to the national lockdown, we are excited to be able to commemorate Remembrance Day in person.

/by
Brookwood Cemetery

Corps Continues Brookwood Cemetery Restoration

Every November the senior management team at Corps Security lays wreaths at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey in remembrance of our fallen soldiers who are buried there. But over the past year, the cemetery has been a hive of activity throughout the year thanks to our restoration project.

Brookwood is a beautiful Grade 1 listed cemetery – at 220 acres it’s the largest in western Europe – created in 1854. After the Corps of Commissionaires was founded in 1859, an area of the cemetery was set aside for the Corps as a burial ground for members and their families. It is the final resting place for two holders of the Victoria Cross – Sergeant William Kenny and Lance-Corporal James Hollowell – in addition to more than 580 original Commissionaires, their spouses and children. Our founder, Captain Sir Edward Walter, is commemorated by a prominent granite obelisk at the cemetery, although he is not buried there.

Over the years our plot has become neglected and the older parts of it have fallen into disrepair and become totally overgrown. But last year, as part of our heritage project, Corps set aside funds to begin restoration. During the last few months, teams have been busy clearing and restoring graves and trimming back the undergrowth. The image above of the same grave before and after restoration demonstrates the immediate impact of our work. Our military champion Diz Sollesse has worked with Kim Lowe, the chairwoman of the Brookwood Cemetery Society, to map out the plot and list all 582 interments. In addition to the restoration work, signs have been created to mark the graves of our VC holders to commemorate their bravery and act as a point of interest to visitors.

In October, ahead of Remembrance Day, the senior management team will support this work with their regular volunteer clear-up day and view the progress which has already been made. The next task will be to mark out graves which currently have no headstones. Our work will continue in spring next year when we hope to participate in the cemetery’s open day and provide visitors with information on the history and on-going renovation of our plot.

Diz Sollesse, who has led the restoration project, said: “We are proud to be improving this unique piece of our heritage and ensuring that our Commissionaires are remembered and honoured.”

 

/by
Diz Sollesse Shows The Female Side Of Remembrance Day

Diz Sollesse Shows The Female Side Of Remembrance Day

Last Wednesday, Diz Sollesse joined former serviceman Nigel Horne to lay wreaths at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey as part of Corps Security’s commemoration of Remembrance Day.

They placed wreaths both at the obelisk which commemorates the founder of the Corps of Commissionaires Captain Sir Edward Walter, and also on several graves of prominent commissionaires including Lance-Corporal James Hollowell from the 78th Highlanders and Drum Major William Kenny from the Gordon Highlanders. This took place before the national lockdown.

Diz, who acts as the executive assistant to the Corps board, is an honorary Australian Commissionaire, a title which was bestowed in 2018 following her work in re-establishing the links between the Corps of Commissionaires Association in Australia and the UK organisation.

Diz arranges joint events around Armistice Day in the UK, visits to the company cemetery and Walter family ancestral home, charitable endeavours and messages from the Corps President for special occasions. She was invited to attend the ANZAC ceremony in Melbourne in April which was unfortunately cancelled due to the pandemic.

“There’s sometimes a perception that Remembrance Day is male-dominated but this is far from the case,” says Diz. “The armed forces, both in the UK and Australia, have many women within their ranks and of course many current and former servicewomen take part in Remembrance Day. The event itself is always led by our Chief Life Governor, Her Majesty the Queen. I’m proud to wear the Corps of Commissionaires Association Australia insignia.”

/by
Corps Security Marks Remembrance Day Under Lockdown

Corps Security Marks Remembrance Day Under Lockdown

Corps Security is proud of its military links and Remembrance Day is an important part of our calendar. It firmly connects Corps Security to our 160-year-old military roots.

But this year’s Remembrance Day, like so much else about 2020, will be different. Instead of taking part in the National Service of Remembrance March Past and laying wreaths at the Cenotaph and other memorials across the UK as in previous years, we will be in another national lockdown.

Instead, Nigel Horne, our regional operations director who joined Corps following nine years of service in The British Army, will be laying wreaths to represent the three main entities of the Corps (UK, Australia and Canada) at our cemetery in Brookwood the day before lockdown starts. He will also visit the military cemeteries for the Allied nations there at the same time.

“Although the commemorations for Remembrance Day will be subdued this year, they are no less important than in previous years,” said Mike Bullock, CEO of Corps Security. “Founded in 1859 to address the employment difficulties faced by ex-servicemen on return from the Crimean War, we still employ a large number of ex-military personnel and Remembrance Day marks a historic link of unity for the team. We will remember all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.”

Horne, who is also champion for Corps’ participation in the Remembrance Day commemorations added: “Having come from a military background, I know first-hand that events like this link us all to our roots and to something bigger than ourselves. This year our teams have been on a different front line, supporting our clients through the pandemic, often working in challenging conditions. Remembrance Day is a reminder that our founding military values of loyalty, integrity and service still prevail today.”

/by

Our Social Values

We protect more than you think

There’s a lot more to Corps Security than you might expect. Yes, we are experts in security and we have over 160 years of experience. But we’re also experts in how to put sustainability and diversity at the heart of everything we do.

We are a Social Enterprise

More Information

Accreditations

Corps Security Accreditations

About Corps Security

Built on over 163 years of experience and a clear social mission, we provide specialist security services tailored to ensure the safety of people and property.
Our values are at the heart of everything we do, through the people we work with, the people we employ, the people we help and the planet we protect. Together we protect the things that matter.

Registered Office at 85 Cowcross Street, London EC1M 6PF.  Registered in England No. 03473589

Latest News