Springtime at St Peter’s:

A Personal View

In the wall between the path and the churchyard you can see the stumps of the railings that were removed during the 1939-45 War to provide metal for armaments. This was part of the “war effort”. The metal was requisitioned by the government: it does not reflect on the church’s predisposition for or against the conflict.

St Peter’s may have looked prettier when the railings were there – they would have made a frame, a feature in the foreground and would have given a sense of enclosure and security for the loved ones buried under its turf. The railings, while pretty, were excluding. Whether they served any useful purpose, though, is debatable as the gate to the churchyard was open – as was the church itself then. Unfortunately, today, while the churchyard is open the church is locked to keep out unwanted intruders. The view of the church from the path is unrestricted now but access to the church has to be restricted. There is a notice in the porch detailing when and how the church can be accessed during the week. Of course, it is open every Sunday both for services in the morning and in the afternoon for visitors.

Inside the church, in the North transept is this modest plaque:

This is an extract from his citation for the Victoria Cross:

“CAPTAIN JOHN NEIL RANDLE

He was 26 years old, and a Temporary Captain in the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Norfolk Regiment.

Captain Randle was commander of 'B' Company of the Norfolks. On May 4 1944 during the Battle of Kohima in North East India he was ordered to attack the Japanese flank on GPT Ridge during the relief and clearance of Kohima.

On the 4th May, 1944, at Kohima in Assam, a Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment attacked the Japanese positions on a nearby ridge. Captain Randle took over command of the Company which was leading the attack when the Company Commander was severely wounded. His handling of a difficult situation in the face of heavy fire was masterly and although wounded himself in the knee by grenade splinters he continued to inspire his men by his initiative, courage and outstanding leadership until the Company had captured its objective and consolidated its position. He then went forward and brought in all the wounded men who were lying outside the perimeter. In spite of his painful wound Captain Randle refused to be evacuated and insisted on carrying out a personal reconnaissance with great daring in bright moonlight prior to a further attack by his Company on the position to which the enemy had withdrawn. At dawn on 6th May the attack opened, led by Captain Randle, and one of the platoons succeeded in reaching the crest of the hill held by the Japanese. Another platoon, however, ran into heavy medium machine gun fire from a bunker on the reverse slope of the feature.

Captain Randle immediately appreciated that this particular bunker covered not only the rear of his new position but also the line of communication of the battalion and therefore the destruction of the enemy post was imperative if the operation was to succeed. With utter disregard of the obvious danger to himself Captain Randle charged the Japanese machine gun post single-handed with rifle and bayonet. Although bleeding in the face and mortally wounded by numerous bursts of machine gun fire he reached the bunker and silenced the gun with a grenade thrown through the bunker slit. He then flung his body across the slit so that the aperture should be completely sealed. The bravery shown by this officer could not have been surpassed and by his self-sacrifice he saved the lives of many of his men and enabled not only his own Company but the whole Battalion to gain its objective and win a decisive victory over the enemy.”

Had Captain Randle survived he would have been 90 this year. May 4^th, the start of his fatal action, falls on a Sunday. It would be fitting if Captain Randle’s heroic sacrifice could be remembered in private prayer.

Autumn 2007

St Peter’s is an old church so there are things that mark it out from more recent churches - for example the box pews, the layout of the church (unusually the transepts are longer than the nave) and the Cole Memorial dating from 1624, only 13 years after the Authorised Version, or “King James” bible was published. So he and his wife probably read Tyndale’s bible or Miles Coverdale’s for most of their lives..

Inside the church there are many tablets to past parishioners - Petersham was always a pretty and amenable parish and it attracted wealthy people. Some of the tablets have inscriptions that seem perhaps even incongruous to our ears but they demonstrate what people of their day considered worthy lifestyles and achievements. They bare a record of evolving mores:

“He was a kind husband, an affectionate father, a humane master and a good man” 1779
“Supporting discipline by manly firmness and benevolence“ 1811
“Beloved and regretted” 1830 (hopefully only her passing was regretted!)
“He now rests in the haven where he would be” 1841 (a naval man)
“A mind of high intellect guided by Christian principles and charity” 1847
“His beneficence was bounded only by his means and he laboured in the cause
  of charity with earnestness” 1867
“The sea gave up the dead which were in it . . and there was no more sea” 1901
“By his self-sacrifice he saved the lives of many of his men”  VC 1944

But St Peter’s is also a very modern church if, by “church” you mean its congregation. It seeks to accommodate different persuasions within the Anglican Church by varying the style and format of services throughout the month. The layout of the church means that one half the congregation faces the other half - you don’t sit looking at a sea of hats and backs of heads. That means that visitors can be spotted and welcomed. And they are.

Also, the congregation positively welcomes children of all ages at the morning services and has a Family Service on the first Sunday of each month. Children are invited to come with their minders to the centre of the church during the first hymn to light a candle (the youngest last year was 8 days old) and at the back of each transept is a special children’s pew with crayons and paper to keep them occupied.

Tim’s sermons are short (well under 10 minutes) and very much to the point. They are well worth concentrating on. You have to listen carefully! The singing of hymns and canticles is heartfelt - led by an enthusiastic amateur choir that sits in the body of the church under (literally) the direction of the organist in the gallery above. Occasionally the organ does it’s own thing on a single note - we hope to replace it soon. It is, after all, much older that we are - 96 to be exact. Occasionally, too, the congregation has to practice a new Sanctus or Gloria written for it by one of its experienced members. Modern music is difficult but, surprisingly, once you've got it you find yourself humming the tune later in the week. Music means a lot in St Peter’s and the acoustics are good which may be why it is so popular for weddings.

But most of all, St Peter’s is a living church with a happy and welcoming congregation. The box pews have their own panel heaters so they are cosy in winter. And you can’t say that about all churches!