Sport Remembers
Organisations across the sport industry are marking this weekend’s Remembrance Sunday, which will also commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War.
Those participating include racing’s promotional body, Great British Racing, which is drawing attention to the lives of both cavalry and horses that were lost.
In addition to the annual two-minute silence that will be observed across UK racecourses at 11am on Sunday, racegoers at Ffos Las and Sandown Park will be shown a poignant video compiling historic equine images from the war in which Britain lost 480,000 horses – one for every two men.
Commenting on the commemorative events taking place this Sunday, National Hunt Jockey Tom Scudamore said: “I feel enormous respect for those horses. You can only have the strongest admiration for the people and animals that were in active service.
“It’s phenomenal that during those wars, men and women were willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good. Some paid the ultimate price, for us to live our day-to-day lives, and it’s only right that we pay our respects this Sunday, 100 years on from World War I,” he added.
Other notable campaigns include the ECB’s #CricketRemembers, which focusses on the 210 county cricketers who served in the First World War.
The ECB has commissioned cricket historian and author David Frith, founder editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly, to produce ‘County Cricketers and the 1914-18 War’ – a collection of remarkable stories published on ECB.co.uk. The organisation is also encouraging others to share their own stories via social media.
ECB chief executive officer Tom Harrison said: “Cricket Remembers highlights the contribution made by people from cricket to the nation’s war effort. We can only imagine the courage of those who went to fight and it is important that we commemorate their sacrifice.
“Through this campaign, we hope all followers of cricket can join us in remembering those from the game who played their part in the First World War.”
Three elite England cricket teams will also commemorate Armistice across the world, with the men overseas in Sri Lanka, the women in the West Indies and the Lions playing in the United Arab Emirates.
In addition, the ECB has teamed up with the MCC and charity Remembered to contribute to the nationwide ‘There But Not There’ project. The campaign is based on a six-foot Tommy silhouette installation, which has so far raised over £4 million for a host of military and mental health charities.
The distinctive sculpture was photographed in front of the Pelham Warner stand at Lord’s, remembering the English cricketer who contributed to the war effort as a Captain in the War Office.
‘There But Not There’ is also benefitting from the support of Stamp Productions, official film producer to the BT Sport Industry Awards.
Stamp’s Ben Uttley has produced the official ‘There But Not There,’ charity single, recorded by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
Stamp, which also produces films on behalf of the British & Irish Lions, took inspiration from the Lions’ own acts of remembrance on their tours around the world in creating the track.
Meanwhile in the world of football, the Premier League, English Football League and the Professional Football Association (PFA) have come together to create the Football Remembers initiative, comprising a vast array of commemorative events.
In particular, The FA hosted The British Army Game of Remembrance, its regular fixture against the German Army.
In both the men’s fixture played at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground and the women’s game at Notts County’s Meadow Lane on Thursday evening, the German Army came out on top, winning 3-1 and 2-1 respectively. Both games were streamed live on the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app.
