Day 6 Runnymede Reflections

Entrance to the Runnymede memorial.

Another busy and fascinating day. Our first stop and most significant was Runnymede memorial. Where the names of more than 20,000 airmen and women are inscribed who lost their lives and no known graves exists for them.

The men laid a wreath in their honour at this significant and tranquil place. The site of the Runnymede memorial overlooks the Thames and down to the field where the Magna Carta was signed in 1215 , enshrining the basic freedoms we enjoy today. Further along the Thames valley is a memorial to JF Kennedy.

We then enjoyed a little more coach ride to Windsor Castle to take a look at a Hawker fighter replica, mounted in a very pleasant situation beside the Thames with moored houseboats alongside and elegant white swans gliding by.

Runnymede poem on the window. 

 Lunch at Saville Gardens. We had time for a quick walk through the Windsor town area and a view of the castle.

The Royal Standard was flying so the Queen was in residence.

We had the benefit of Jonathan's son David, who was an excellent and most knowledgeable guide for the area, as well as being knowledgeable about all things aeronautical, being a pilot for British Airways.

     

The 5 lay a wreath at the memorial.

He took us to a small but little known church built in 1020 with a more modern addition built in 1070. A church where William the Conqueror took mass!

The church font dated from 800AD.

The church garden was planted with Yew trees to provide wood for the bows for the English archers. The English archer could fire an arrow 500yards compared to the French crossbow of only 100yards.

The Runnymede Memorial.

An English archer if caught would often have his two fingers cut off and released, as he would be useless without them. Jonathan provided us with a comprehensive and wide ranging commentary on the bus trip proving beyond all doubt his vast general knowledge and range of experiences.

Back to base in time for Harry to complete his television interview. It is perhaps worth noting that while the veterans were all wide awake on the return trip, the support staff all seemed to need a nana nap to keep up.