Christ Church was packed on Sunday, in observance of Remembrance Day, and everyone was wearing poppies. (This took me back to making poppies as a child, when my grandfather was active in the American Legion and my mother and grandmother were busy with the American Legion Auxiliary. My grandfather was a veteran of WWI himself, a pilot, whose back was injured and health permanently damaged by exposure to mustard gas. I only recently realized that his young death in his early 60s was no doubt due to this exposure.) The British Ambassador to Austria read a lesson, and our Chaplain Patrick gave a truly excellent sermon on learning peace from remembering the horrors of war, ending with a poem by Siegfried Sassoon. Christ Church’s role in aiding Jews to escape Vienna in 1938 was mentioned again as well. Following the service, we were all invited to a posh reception at the British Embassy, where a friend took this photo. (No, Christina is not Margaret Thatcher – but she has all of the Iron Lady’s manners, determination – and sense of humor!)
Pam Cooper-White Vienna Blog 