Heroes – Laughter and Tears
Heroes – Laughter and Tears
I am not sure I know where to begin to say thank you – Heroes was a quite a weekend. The marvellous men in their flying machines were matchless with their precision and dexterity and created the most extraordinary show. 
From the modern pizazz and sheer raw power of the Red Arrows, to the fragile acrobatics of the de Havilland Tiger moths, the excitement of the spitfire and the majesty of of the enormous B 17 is was indeed an outstanding show. 
The RAF Chinooks fly and practice over the Highclere Estate because our very varied topography provides a contrasting experience but I never realised quite how large they are until one landed just in front of the Castle. The Royal British Legion parachutists were spot-on and on Sunday trailed 2,500 poppies which dispersed in the wind, a beautiful occasion as 12th Hussar Pipe Major playing Amazing Grace. 
With the news of upcoming Downton film, Hugh Bonneville and Lord Fellowes were the obvious attractions in the Speakers’ tent. 
Even more in keeping, perhaps, with the purpose of the event the Indian High Commissioner gave an enormously insightful talk into the often overlooked role of the Indian army in the First World War, when they contributed 1.5million men of whom nearly 100, 000 did not make it home again. As a corp, they won more VC’s than any other unit. Dr Javid Abdelmoneim of MSF gave a moving report on the role of and the sacrifices made by the doctors and nurses who make up MSF. It was enormously humbling. Kate Adie, Mona Juul and Terje Rod Larsen, Robert Harris and Shrabani Basu were all as ever enlightening, entertaining and fascinating. 
The Dress for Downton competition was fun and judging invidious! Hugh Bonneville helped us on Saturday and Lesley Nichol (Mrs Patmore) on Sunday. Sepsis kindly helped us organise two games of football each day. 
All the contributors to the event gave above and beyond what anyone could have expected of them and worked tremendously hard to give our guests and visitors the most amazing weekend of experiences. Thank you of course grateful to our friends and co-sponsors Viking Cruises! I am so grateful to all of them for everything they did to pull the weekend together. Don’t miss browsing the online auction at https://www.32auctions.com/heroes and decide what you might enjoy. I look forward to greeting some of you as my guests here at Highclere! 
Perhaps the most moving part for me was the non-denominational service we held on the Sunday morning under the skies next to the sculpture we have had dedicated to the airmen who lost their lives over the Highclere Estate in WW2. Canadian Chaplain Tim Novis led the service and we sang hymns, listened to some very thoughtful addresses and prayers and remembered the futility of war. I and the families of those airmen found it hard to stay strong and movingly the USA charity TAPS was here to help those in such a position of grief now as well. 
“The young dead soldiers do not speak… They say: Whether our lives and our deaths were for peace and a new hope or for nothing we cannot say, it is you who must say this. We leave you our deaths. Give them their meaning. We were young, they say. We have died; remember us.”
Now of course we are into the clearing up, nobody has much energy, everybody’s voices are a little scratchy and the coffee machine is on overdrive. The marquees are coming down faster than they seemed to go up and there is a slight feeling of flatness as there always is after an enormous and successful event. Now we look forward to the arrival of the film crew the start of the shooting season and turn of the season towards autumn. 
24 Comments
Lady Carnarvan, Thank you so much for sharing your world with us. What an amazing time that must have been.
I have to thank you for organising such a magnificent event and inviting me and my fellow Ashley Holt Singers along to the outdoor service. As you said, a very moving experience. I stood in your grounds listening to the contributors to the service, quietly thanking you for giving me the opportunity to spend the time in reflection and not my usual Sunday activity of running around after my family. It was an absolute joy to be able to sing along to the hymns and be part of your special day. A time to realise that collectively we can achieve great things and hopefully peace. I hope you get a chance to put your feet up!! Thank you again, Debbie
A marvelous weekend tribute to the fallen and a weekend of remembrance for those left who mourn. You always seem to bring out the best in people - you’re a blessing to those who know you and all of us who now have a window into the events of Highclere. I loved my visit there in 2014 and I’m planning a second visit in 2019.
Thank you for hosting such an expansive, fun and meaningful remembrance event. We forget important things so easily. The facilitators are all exhausted, but what you and they do for all of the attendees (and even for those who view it from afar) is permanent and heart-changing.
You are certainly blessed to be able to share and to enjoy the Heroes event. Thank you!
Very super!
Lovely, wish I could have been there!
Mission accomplished! You have done a duty of memory for all of us. I could not be here this year, but I followed the festivities of Quebec and I can assure you that everyone seemed to have fun and enjoy this great charity event. I commend you for all your efforts in giving back to your community. Bravo! Visiting Highclere Castle is on my wish list and I hope to visit one of these days. With pleasure!
Congratulations on hosting such a glorious event! I took my 93 year old Dad, a WWII USAF veteran to an "air show" in late June here in the States. His eyes gleamed at every twist and turn and roll of the planes as they performed, and he recalled many stories of his years as a pilot during the War. I would suspect many in your audience experienced similar memories. Once again, I am grateful that I have been able to visit Highclere and to have met you, Lady Carnarvon. Although my first glimpse of Highclere was on the television via Downton Abbey, I have learned to appreciate this magnificent structure as a place of family, community, culture, history, and above all, a place of good works, of giving back, of honoring Heroes. Kudos to you and your amazing staff for a job exceedingly well done - once again!
I wish I could have been there for this wonderful tribute but I live in the States. However, I did visit in early August when the scaffolding and bleachers were being set up so I did see some of the preparations taking place. I only wished I could have stayed longer to experience this as I am always fascinated by all things WWII. It looks like it was a lovely event with so many dedicated people, many educational exhibits, and lots of heartfelt memories, both happy and sad. Thank you for all you do. You have a beautiful estate and so many of the people who help run it are truly kind and wonderful people. We met many of them on the day of our visit and were in awe of how everyone spoke so affectionately of you and your family. They spoke as true extended family members of Highclere Castle. You have something truly special going on there and for that, I'm sure you're immensely proud. Cheers ~
What an amazing gathering at Highclere! The atmosphere from the air to the ground must have given everyone a wonderful sense of purpose, showcasing so many components.
Kudos to all who were involved and to the Highclere community and sponsors who made it possible. I’m sure it made a wonderful weekend for guests and visitors. Well done!
p.s. - I just finished watching all 6 seasons of Downton Abbey with my 80 year old father. We absolutely loved it and it was great seeing all the wonderful rooms and beautiful property of the castle again :)
Dear Lady Carnarvan, I enjoy your postings here in the States so very much that I cannot express it. I always feel as if I am standing next to you and strolling the grounds of Highclere with you. Thank you for everything you do. I hope some day to meet you on the grounds of Highclere. Looking forward to the movie!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Thank you is not grand enough to express what the event meant to me. I carried a photo of my Dad with me to feel he was still a part of the event. As you may remember from our conversation, he served in WWii on a B 17 as a top turret gunner. He is greatly missed by us. And my Husband's service in Vietnam was recognised by many of the visitors which brought him close to tears. Gratitude can heal many wounds. I was so thrilled to meet you and your kind husband. I wish we could have stayed for Sunday as well, but I will be thankful for what I was able to do. It was above and beyond what I expected. God Bless you and Lord Carnarvon for being so generous. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity. What an experience. I am in tears...again.
What a most wonderful event! Thank you for sharing all the highlights on this blog, it is almost like being there. 'Had invitation and entrance tickets, but was unable to travel, however I was there in spirit! How amazing the air show must have ben, and a most touching memorial, and even "Downton" was well represented! Congratulations!
Well done to you all on a fabulous event, which I had the pleasure of attending on Saturday.
I was not able to be there but I could feel the success of the event by your words — I was thrilled to see pictures included with your post —- the enormous B17 flying over Highclere took my breath away —such an awesome picture. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Lady Carnarvan, for that vivid and touching account of last weekend’s event. I had a tear in my eye and a smile on my lips and most importantly, you made me feel as if I had been at Highclere.
Thank you for opening up your beautiful home and hosting such a spectacular event.
It was a truly amazing day and a wonderful event.
Being able to visit the Egyptian Museum and see the artifacts that Lord Carnarvon & Howard Carter had brought back was a pure delight. The team that you had hosting in the house who could share their knowledge and insights were superb!
For Skye who is 10 the carousel was the number one highlight along with being photographed with the stormtroopers! Plus of course a quick hello to you too with her Dad after the chinook helicopter took off.
This was a most exciting -and memorable week-end forus ! Oue exoectations were surpased! From the big band dancing outside our Inn to theflyovers and display tents - the old army surgery tent ! Asa midern day surgical assistant - it was impressive ! Thank you Lord & Lady Canarvan for a great way to support charities, Dee Stephens , Memphis Tennessee
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Absolutely beautiful in every regard. I had tickets but was not able to be there. Your description is so full that I can picture it all! Well done and congratulations.
Now onto the next major task. I look forward to highlights of the filming and your incredible descriptions. And I hope to plan another visit to Hughclere. It is a gem.
Best regards,
Charlotte Cole
My husband and I were at the Heroes Day in 2014. It was a wonderful day and we will never forget it. This years event looked incredible, wish we could have been there.
Thank you for another heartfelt blog, all your hard work paid off.
I arrived at 9am on Saturday morning and left at 5.30pm. I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of the day's events. The Speakers were excellent, the Red Arrows gave me goose bumps, the classic cars were a sight to behold, some of the ladies outfits were beautiful reflecting WW1, the hog roast was delicious, the Gatsby Girls were great fun and the tent telling the story of treating infection with carbolic soap was amazing. Thank you for all your hard work in putting together such an interesting event. I loved the Carousal and ran out of time as I wanted to try the Red Arrows Simulator so will have to come back next year!!!!! Thank all your staff who worked so hard to put together a fabulous day out.
I enjoyed the weekend in September and was pleased to see the information regarding my late uncle, Geoffrey Alan Rolph, who was the pilot of Mosquito LR269 which crashed on 11 December 1943. He was tasked with a practice bombing sortie at the Woodcott bombing range, but the sortie should not have taken place due to low cloud and snowstorm.
He had joined the RAF before the war in a ground trade, but received flying training in Rhodesia after the start of the war. His first posting after training was with 208 squadron, flying Hurricanes in North Africa. He was then posted back to England, flying Mark 1 Mustangs with 613 squadron, an army co-operation squadron. The squadron re-equipped with Mosquitos in September 1943, to carry out bombing raids in Europe ready for Operation Overlord in June 1944.
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
What a wonderful and memorable event!! Everyone at Highclere did a spectacular job and you did a great job of celebrating our war heroes. Now you can rest and talk about this grand endeavor. You can also get ready for a little movie which is being filmed at Highclere!! Who really needs rest??
Regards,
Ann Catherine Flood