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'Very hard hitting' Stafford students' poignant tribute to First World War soldiers in Belgium

Students from a Stafford school were handed a rare chance to pay homage to missing soldiers from the First World War when they performed under the arches of the Menin Gate after the Last Post was sounded.

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17-year-old trumpeter Josie Lamplough and fellow Stafford Grammar concert band members impressed audiences in Belgium.

As buglers finished their daily 8pm ritual in the Belgium city of Ypres, Stafford Grammar School’s concert band struck up with a programme of sombre and military pieces while wreaths were laid.

The memorial bears the names of 54,000 casualties killed in the Ypres Salient, whose graves are not known.

The Stafford Grammar School band had not expected to earn an invite during their concert tour of the country and 17-year-old band member Josie Lamplough described it as an emotional occasion.

“Not many musicians are given permission to perform at the Menin Gate,” Josie said. “It was very different from where we’re used to playing.

“There was no applause, as a sign of respect to those who died. The silence made us think. It was very hard hitting and poignant, and it was humbling too.”

During their Belgium tour, the 50 young musicians delivered four open air concerts to audiences in town squares, with cultural and historical outings squeezed between.

A visit to the Lijssenthoek military cemetery was followed by an afternoon concert in Ypres market before the evening ceremony at the war memorial.

The youngsters also performed near the French border at Veurne and rounded-off their trip with a concert on the Flanders coast in Ostend.

The band’s repertoire included a combination of popular songs, tunes from West End shows and original pieces by American and British composers, while the spotlight fell on trumpet soloist Josie with a second solo slot falling to Cameron Strang, 17, on the alto saxophone.

“Being completely away from your normal environment, playing at venues you’ve never been to let alone to audiences you don’t know were all challenges we faced together. These experiences help to bond friendship groups even more. Playing a solo was nerve wracking, but such an honour and it’s something that will stay with me,” said Josie.

“Our audiences were amazing. Passersby stopped in the street to listen or pulled up a chair and some people who were sitting outside cafes just wandered across. It’s fantastic to connect with people you’ve never even met, through the music you’re playing.”

The tour was part of a busy summer for 13-year-old band member Ailish Steele, who won the intermediate group of the Staffordshire Young Musician of the Year contest.

The Grade Eight flautist, who is a member of the National Children’s Orchestra, made the cut for the instrumental final in her category alongside six other musicians aged between 11 and 15. Ailish impressed the judges who awarded her this year’s title.

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