RUGBY SCHOOL CHILDREN COMPLETE TIME CAPSULE FOR WAR MEMORIAL
Members of the Ex-Servicemen’s Association have visited Boughton Leigh Junior School in Rugby to collect articles, which will be interned in a new time capsule and buried beneath the Rugby War Memorial. This is being relocated as part of St. Modwen’s work to redevelop the new £35 million Warwickshire College.
The new time capsule will be interned together with an existing time capsule, which dates back to just after World War One and was uncovered when the War Memorial was painstakingly removed from its previous position on Mill Road. The Ex-Servicemen’s Association and St. Modwen invited Boughton Leigh Junior School to be involved in the project as the children had previously visited the memorial as part of a school project and again on Remembrance Day.
The children were asked to help create a picture of school life in 2010 for future generations, for inclusion in the new time capsule. Year six pupils presented the Ex-Servicemen’s Association with a DVD and memory stick containing a video they had filmed and narrated to provide an accurate portrayal of what life is like for today’s school children. This showed the children involved in various school activities and showcased their very modern IT equipment. The school also presented its 2010 school photography poster featuring photographs of all 300 pupils, which will be included in the time capsule on DVD and memory stick.
Jack Birch, David Ward and Mike French from The Ex-Servicemen’s Association also took the existing time capsule along to the school. Made of lead, this has not been opened in order to preserve its contents; and it is set to be re-interned alongside the new capsule containing the school’s contributions. The Ex-Servicemen also showed the children other items being buried in the new time capsule including a sheet of current coinage, donated by St. Modwen.
Lynne Mehta, assistant head teacher at Boughton Leigh Junior School, said: “We were very privileged to be involved in this project, having been spotted visiting the War Memorial, and we are proud of the contribution that we have been able to make to the new time capsule.
“The children have shown a keen interest in the War Memorial and what it means to the people of Rugby, and we were therefore delighted to welcome members of the Ex Servicemen’s Association to the school. The children were particularly interested to see the old time capsule – which is clearly a fascinating part of our town’s history – and they were eager to find out how the time capsule was made and how it could possibly be opened.”
Jack Birch, Chairman of The Ex Servicemen’s Association, attended the school to collect the items for the time capsule. Jack said: “On behalf of the Ex Servicemen’s Association and St. Modwen, I would like to thank the school for taking the time to work on this project. We were very impressed by the way they approached this, and they have all done a wonderful job in producing the DVD. We are now looking forward to inviting the school children to the new site of the War Memorial so they can also play a part in the internment of the two time capsules.”
