St. Mary-Le-Strand

<body bgcolor="#DDDDFF"> <TABLE borderColor=#000099 height=83 cellSpacing=1 borderColorDark=#000099 width="86%" bgColor=#0066ff borderColorLight=#ffffff border=1> <TR> <TD align=middle width="20%" height=43><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: 700"><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#000066> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" target="SMLSHomepage1" href="http://www.stmarylestrand.org/Who_We_Are.htm"><FONT color=#000066 size=4>Who We Are</FONT></a></FONT></SPAN></TD> <TD align=middle width="20%" height=43><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: 700"><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#000066><A style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.stmarylestrand.org/Whatson.htm" target=SMLSHomepage1><FONT color=#000066 size=4>What's On?</FONT></A></FONT></SPAN></TD> <TD align=middle width="20%" height=43><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: 700"> <FONT color=#000066 size=4 face="Trebuchet MS"> <a target="SMLSHomepage1" href="page4_Visiting_and_What_to_See.htm" style="text-decoration: none"> <font color="#000066">Visiting and What To See</font></a></FONT></SPAN></TD> <TD align=middle width="20%" height=43><B><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#000066><A style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.stmarylestrand.org/WRENS.htm" target=SMLSHomepage1><FONT color=#000066 size=4>WRENS</FONT></A></FONT></B></TD> <TD align=middle width="21%" height=43><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: 700"><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#000066><A style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.stmarylestrand.org/music.htm" target=SMLSHomepage1><FONT color=#000066 size=4>Music</FONT></A></FONT></SPAN></TD></TR> <TR> <TD width="20%" height=43> <P align=center><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#000066><B><A style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.stmarylestrand.org/Getting_MarriedorChristened.htm" target=SMLSHomepage1><FONT color=#000066 size=4>Getting Married or Christened</FONT></A></B></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle width="20%" height=43><B><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#000066><A style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.stmarylestrand.org/family_history.htm" target=SMLSHomepage1><FONT color=#000066 size=4>Tracing Your Family History</FONT></A></FONT></B></TD> <TD align=middle width="20%" height=43><FONT color=#ffffff><A style="FONT-WEIGHT: 700; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.stmarylestrand.org/History.htm" target=SMLSHomepage1><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#000066 size=4>History</FONT></A></FONT></TD> <TD align=middle width="20%" height=43><FONT color=#ffffff><A style="FONT-WEIGHT: 700; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.stmarylestrand.org/Links.htm" target=SMLSHomepage1><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#000066 size=4>Links</FONT></A></FONT></TD> <TD align=middle width="21%" height=43><FONT color=#ffffff> <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: 700; TEXT-DECORATION: none" target="SMLSHomepage1" href="page1_Home.htm"><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#000066 size=4>Home</FONT></a></FONT></TD></TR></TABLE> <hr align="left"> <p align=center style='margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm; margin-left:0cm;'> <b> <font size="4" color="#993300" face="Garamond"> <span style='mso-bidi-font-size:16.0pt;mso-font-kerning:0pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-bookmark:_Toc44152466'> &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp </span></font></b></p> <P align=center><FONT face="Century Gothic"><A href="http://www.stmarylestrand.org/wrnscrest.jpg"> <IMG src="WRENS_files/WRENS_files/wrnscrest_small.jpg" border=1 xthumbnail-orig-image="WRENS_files/wrnscrest.jpg" width="171" height="175"></A></FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#000066>In 1982 St Mary's became the Official Church of the <B>Women's Royal Naval Service</B>, the <B>Women's Royal Naval Reserve</B> and the <B>Association of Wrens</B>. Serving Wrens are now fully integrated with the rest of the Royal Navy but the church retains its strong connection with the Wrens.</FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#000066><B>When Visiting The Church</B></FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#000066>The memorial book of Wrens who have died on active service can be found in the case to the right of the church as you enter. In front of this stands the paschal candlestick made in 1994 to commemorate the Wrens lost in the sinking of the SS Khedive Ismail, one of the worst naval disasters of the Second World War.</FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#000066>The alms dish used at services was given in memory of those Wrens who died in the sinking of the SS Aguila. The green frontal which you will see on the altar at certain times of the year was given in memory of Dame Jocelyn Woolcombe, a former Director of the WRNS.</FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#000066>Several former Wrens are regular members of the congregation. If you are a visiting Wren, please sign the Wrens' visitors' book and make yourself known to us. An annual re-union and <B>carol service</B> are also held here. </FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT face="Trebuchet MS"><FONT color=#000066>For more information please click </FONT><A style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://wrens.org.uk/" target=_blank><FONT color=#000066>here</FONT></A><FONT color=#000066> </FONT></FONT><A style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://wrens.org.uk/"><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#000066>to go the the Association of Wrens homepage.</FONT></A></P> </body>