STUDENTS from Gordon’s School brought traffic in London to a standstill when they marched behind pipes and drums at the start of their annual memorial weekend.

More than 200 young people paraded along Whitehall to the statue of General Charles Gordon in the Victoria Embankment Gardens.

The West End secondary school was exercising its unique right to parade along the road and past the Cenotaph. The students then formed up for a ceremony around the statue of the renowned officer in whose honour Gordon’s was founded.

Dressed in their ceremonial Blues uniform for the event on Saturday 21 January, the students formed the parade in King Charles Street, before heading into Whitehall and on to the gardens.

The school chaplain, the Rev Graham Wright, conducted a short service to commemorate the death during the siege of Khartoum in 1885 of the Christian soldier, hero and philanthropist.

Wreaths were laid at the statue on behalf of the Gordon family by Tom Gordon, for the Gordonians by Paul Ivory and for governors, trustees, staff and students by Colour Sergeant Ioan Wilson.

Bugler Jess Fowler sounded the Last Post and the Reveille, and The Lament was played by Pipe Major Lucy Massie.

Gordon’s is the national monument to General Gordon and commemorating his life has been an integral part of the school’s history.

The co-educational day and boarding school first opened its doors in 1885 as Gordon Boys’ Home at the behest of Queen Victoria, who wanted a fitting national memorial to be created in General Gordon’s honour.

To date, the school keeps up the tradition of marching, which is undertaken by students dressed in their Blues.

Headteacher Andrew Moss commented: “As always, we were honoured to be able to uphold our tradition, which is a much anticipated event for the whole school.

“As the only school granted permission to march through Whitehall, once again our students represented Gordon’s School to the highest standard, of which General Gordon himself would have been proud.”

The Whitehall parade was followed the next day by the annual General Gordon Memorial Service in Guildford Cathedral attended by students and staff. The service was led by the residentiary canon, the Rev Canon Chris Hollingshurst, and the Chaplain-General to His Majesty’s Land Forces, the Rev Michael Parker, delivered the Gordon Sermon.