30 ROUNDS

AJEX is the association commemorating British Jewish Ex-servicemen and women, created in 1936 to celebrate and support Veterans from the Anglo- Jewish community. Their annual act of remembrance is a parade at the Cenotaph on the week after Remembrance Sunday. During the service the Chief Rabbi and other guest speakers talk and 19 wreaths are laid by veterans, members of the armed forces currently serving and Rabbis. On the 17th of November, Merchant Taylors CCF represented the three single services, Lt Cdr Firestone (RN), Eben Terry (RAF) and George Bindloss (Army) being the only CCF contingent present. We met at school in formal uniform and travelled by train to Charing Cross. The parade stepped off from Horse Guards Parade at 1400 hours to march down Whitehall to the Cenotaph. The Band of the Scots Guards played during the March and Vice Admiral Chris Gardner (the Defence Champion for the Armed Forces Jewish Community) took the salute. It was an honour to parade for the school and the CCF. I was proud to wear my number twos and grateful for the opportunity to parade past the Cenotaph.