Herbert was a Normandy veteran. Herbert joined the Territorial Army before the war and was conscripted in 1939. He was initially sent to Scotland and then was waiting for the big day, 6th June 1944. Herbert’s landing ship had mechanical problems so he was delayed with his troop and set foot on French sand two [...]
Len's war years - As told by his daughter 23.09.1940 to 26.08.1941 During the London Blitz Len served with the 52nd (London) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment. 313 AA Battery stationed at Hyde Park Corner together with gunners on the Ack Ack guns shooting down enemy aircraft. He told me “how he gave the order to fire [...]
Dean’s funeral was huge. Dean once lived in Croydon when he left the Army but resided in Bow east London till his death. Dean was called up to do National service when he was 18 and went off to Suez for 18 months as part of the Royal Signals Regiment. When he was demobbed he [...]
We conducted a funeral for Clive Knowles a veteran of The Royal Fusiliers. This was a social services funeral and at the funeral only 6 people were in attendance. There were three Standard Bearers from the Royal British Legion. In their own words when I thanked them “It’s no more than they deserve mate you [...]
Colin, a veteran of the Royal Artillery 20th Field regiment and was also a veteran of the Korean War. Colin was in his National Service when he went to Korea so he was one of the unlucky ones who went to war many of the others spent their two or three years in the UK [...]
Walter was as an ex-serviceman who was a member of the Royal Artillery. We were told it was a social services funeral. AND he only had two friends. With the help of Veterans we sent him off on his final march in honor. There were two standard bearers from the Royal British Legion and 7 [...]
Stephen served in the Royal Engineers from 04/07/1951 as career soldier and he served in the Korean War and Japan. Stephen was demobbed 01/01/1957. After he left the regular Army he was a reservist and was called up to serve again during the Suez Crisis in 1959. He finally left the reserves in 03/07/67 and [...]
Tony was captured in Singapore along with many thousands of his comrades. He was marched through the Far East working on both the Burma Railway and the Bridge in the Kwai. He ended up being taken to prisoner of war camps in Japan where he was brutally treated. He was deafened in one ear from [...]
Fred who I had the pleasure of meeting a few weeks prior to his passing had lots of Help 4 Heroes merchandise displayed in his home he told me he was in the army as a National Service Soldier. He had been assigned to the Royal Engineers and for his national service where many were [...]
At the outbreak of WW2 Des lied about his age and joined the Home Guard at 13 years old. He became a Sergeant by 15 and was mentioned in dispatches for rescuing people from a bombed building. When he was old enough he joined the Reconnaissance Regiment who were tasked to go to the front [...]
We conducted the funeral of Ron. He was a veteran of the Royal Navy having been posted to two mine sweepers in the English channel, a frigate and the most notable posting was on HMS Belfast. Not many veterans can say they have served on the Belfast. He was on board when the first salvo [...]
We have the honour of conducting the service of a true war hero George Parsons. Formally The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers then 2 Commando, a Minister and a Chelsea pensioner. Here is his war story I joined up in 1937, before the war. When I first got called up, I was bored, then things [...]
My counselling through COVID-19 has changed and in this blog I am going to explain how and the types of clients I have been working with. Grief Grief is not only the loss of a loved one, grief is the human reaction we all have to an unwelcome event. Recently, we have all been feeling [...]
At Rowland Brothers, we recognise that amid this pandemic, we all have fears and concerns for the safety of our families and loved ones. Unfortunately, death and grief do not pause during a crisis. For over 145 years, Rowland Brothers has been taking care of members of this community and we stand ready to help [...]
Rowland Brothers and our associated branches in Selsdon, Addiscombe and Orpington have been privileged to serve you, and we are aware that the approaching season of Christmas can be difficult to cope with. We would like to help you through the season in a small way by suggesting you might like to place a small [...]
The cold weather can have an impact on our mood. Less sunshine and more dark evenings can make us change our normal social activities and we could end up feeling isolated. A lack of vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, can affect our immunity which often makes us poorly. Layer on a bereavement and this time [...]
Lying in Westminster Abbey since 1920, the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is not just a lone soldier from the war. It is a National Act of Remembrance, representative of all those we lost in the Great War. A Reverend on the front lines, Reverend David Railton, was the first to establish the idea. He [...]
Article from Counselling Directory Anger is a common, normal response to bereavement. We get angry when we cannot control what is happening to us. It can be one of the most confusing feelings during bereavement, and is at the root of many problems in the grieving process. If anger is not expressed in a safe way it [...]
Article from Grief In Common When I first started facilitating bereavement groups, I sort of assumed that people would be coming for help for “just” one loss. Of course one loss is more than enough…it’s already too much. Yet so many grievers I met were experiencing multiple losses. And while in most of my writings the word “loss” [...]
The Rowland Brothers Foundation is pleased to present their new initiative 'Never Alone' run in conjunction with Renew 23 Wellbeing Café, an informal place for people who are coming to terms with loss. Never Alone A new drop-in facility for people coming to terms with bereavement run by Rowland Brothers, your local independent funeral directors. [...]
By Aviva Keren Barnett Existential Psychotherapist, Counsellor and Lecturer. “Grief is something all of us have or will anticipate. It is a painful process that forces us to clarify ourselves, our values, and our relationships. It forces us to confront the fragility of life.” Carol Becker (1992). Here I see Becker’s statement about the fragility [...]
Venue: Jurys Inn Hotel, Wellesley Road, Croydon CR0 9XY Date: : Wednesday 15 May 2019 Time: 9.30am – 4.00pm Cost: FREE Lunch and refreshments will be provided Sheila Elliott, of the highly respected Winston’s Wish charity, and Mary Clair Kelly, a skilled integrated Pyschotherapeutic Counsellor, come to help us understand the particular nature of grief [...]
Venue: Jurys Inn Hotel, Wellesley Road, Croydon CR0 9XY Date: Tuesday 14 May 2019 Time: 9.30am – 4.00pm Cost: FREE Lunch and refreshments will be provided Presented by the renowned Dr Bill Webster in association with the Rowland Brothers Foundation Dr Bill Webster, a well-known grief counsellor, author of many books which have become standard [...]
Representatives of four local charities received cheques totalling £3,695 from the Rowland Brothers Foundation as a result of Rowland Brothers’ 2018 Christmas Tree Appeal carried out at its branches in West Croydon, Purley, Old Coulsdon, Warlingham and New Addington. The appeal itself raised £1,847.50 in donations from individuals and families for whom Rowland Brothers [...]
This year’s New Year’s Honours list, announced today, includes a name well known in the world of funerals, and to many residents of Croydon and the surrounding districts. Tony Rowland, who lives in South Croydon, is director of Rowland Brothers Limited, based in Whitehorse Road, West Croydon, and with branches throughout the area, and is [...]
A funeral director who has supported bereaved families through their grief for 65 years has been made an MBE in the Queen’s New Years Honours. Tony Rowland, of South Croydon, is director of Rowland Brothers Limited, of Whitehorse Road, West Croydon, and with branches throughout the area, and has done voluntary work for many local [...]
With a lifelong marriage comes the inevitability of one spouse outliving the other. More than 13-million Americans suffer through this heart-wrenching loss each year. The majority of widowed men and women are seniors, who may have never envisioned a life without their partner. But despite grief, life goes on and the surviving spouse must take [...]
Mother’s Day to many is a day of celebration, the truth is though, for many, Mother’s Day can be a painful and difficult day.
Every year we take part in an event to challenge ourselves and to give us a target to get fit throughout the year. This year our challenge is Race the Sun Isle of Wight. Race The Sun Challenge: It is a difficult team challenge set in the stunning countryside of the Isle of Wight. Our team [...]
Over the last few months, the UK has experienced several very public disasters in London and Manchester. 3 of these have been terrorist attacks and the horrific 'Grenfell' tower block fire. All of our emergency services have shown us worldwide how professional, dedicated, determined and fearless they are in the face of such danger. [...]
Father’s day is a difficult time for grieving sons and daughters and coping on such a day is especially hard. None of us know how we are going to react to grief, it’s unpredictable until we experience it and every time it’s different. Don’t be surprised to how you react on the day. Be kind [...]
This article was originally featured on http://www.funeralservicetimes.co.uk/ Six months after the tram tragedy in Croydon, South London, which killed seven people, a full-day seminar was run, free of charge, by the town’s independent family-run funeral directors Rowland Brothers. The seminars, which took place on 9 May, were for the benefit of bereavement professionals and volunteers affected [...]
What inspires and motivates your team? RBI International Ops Manager Fiona Greenwood knows that despite the tragic situations her very good team encounters every day, there is still huge satisfaction in helping families at their lowest ebb. ‘When I turned from global emergency assistance to global funeral repatriation six years ago, every day brought just [...]
This week, after 71 years together Wilf and Vera Russell passed away within minutes of each other, while three miles apart. Their granddaughter Stephanie said that she believed that Vera was waiting for Wilf to pass. Losses like these can strengthen the idea that it is possible to die from a broken heart, and so [...]
‘A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dates all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.’ – Agatha Christie Nothing can compare to the loss of a mother. Grief can affect us all in different ways, but the [...]
Over recent years we have seen floral tributes sharing a memorial with a charity donation, one that is close to the deceased and family, feeling that this will carry on assisting with medical research or even support for the family. Funeral Flower Etiquette Floral baskets can be sent to the funeral parlour, church or home [...]
Everyone has a song that means something to them. As the belief of what a funeral is has begun to change, the music we play at ceremonies is expanding to fit. Everyone has different taste and so the most requested songs range through a variety of genres. The songs most requested don’t just include old [...]
In a recent landmark court case, a 14-year-old won her case and her choice to be cryogenically frozen after her battle with cancer. The court ordered that she may be frozen after her passing, and she is now the first British child to have been cryogenically frozen. What is Cryonics? Cryonics is the way a [...]
ITV’s Tonight released the documentary, ‘Funerals: A Costly Undertaking?’ on 3rd November. The programme uncovered some interesting insights towards the funeral industry and the British public’s thoughts on funerals. ITV’s approach was largely preoccupied with the negative, as the National Association of Funeral Directors remark, “the case studies focused solely on families who, for various [...]
Rowland Brothers International, a part of Rowland Brothers, are proud to be the winners of the first ever Ancillary Assistance Service Provider of the Year award at the ITIJ Industry Awards 2016. This global industry event took place at The Ritz-Carlton in Berlin on the 3rd November 2016 and was the 14th annual International Travel [...]
To honour your loved one after they have passed you may want to make a grand gesture or keep them close to you. There is a large variety of unique and personal things you can do with your loved one's ashes. Bury their ashes Burying your loved one's ashes is a way to unite the family, [...]
The idea of parting with a loved ones ashes is a hard decision and so when it comes to deciding what you would like to, it has become a popular solution to turn to memorial jewellery. The thought of scattering ashes can take families years, as they feel they cannot separate themselves from their loved [...]
When we lose a loved one there is an expectation to write a eulogy or a speech in remembrance. However, another popular option for funeral ceremonies and memorials, is reading a poem. Articulating the emotions of bereavement are difficult and a meaningful poem that captures the essence of both your loved one and family will [...]
Funerals are becoming less of a taboo topic as the celebration of life is now an important part of the bereavement process of our loved ones. A personalised funeral is a way of putting time and thought into a unique ceremony that reflects your loved one’s life. A funeral should be a memorable, and strong [...]
All bereavement is different and when someone loses a loved one they can deal with grief in many different ways. Not every way of dealing with grief is healthy, look out for these 5 observations to help the grieving process for your friend or family member experiencing a loss. 1. Believing they will ‘get over [...]
Last week an image surfaced from the earthquake disaster in Italy, of a loyal blonde cocker spaniel called Flash, lying by the casket of his master. The touching image gives us an insight into the instinctive and natural need to mourn and leaves us questioning whether we could learn something from our beloved pets. The thought [...]
2016 has been a year of remembrance and life celebrations for a large number of celebrities, actors, comedians and musicians; we want to remember these well-known figures that are no longer with us. Though this year it seems as if there has been an increase in celebrities dying, and the rate we hear about it. [...]
Making a pre-paid funeral plan isn’t something we necessarily want to consider and we try not to think about. But as the years go by and we realise that we aren’t, after all, going to be the first person in history to duck under the radar of the Grim Reaper, it feels more and more [...]
The government published the Armed Forces Covenant in 2011 setting out the relationship between the nation, the armed forces and the government the same year Croydon became the first London borough to sign a Community Covenant. It was signed as a pledge of commitment to the local Armed Forces population – those in service, Reservists, [...]
The Rowland Brothers Family and staff members would like to offer our sincere condolences to Jo Cox’s family, friends and all affected following her tragic murder in the streets of her constituency. She was greatly respected and admired by all who knew and worked with her, she will be sorely missed.
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Rowland Brothers Limited is an appointed representative of Golden Leaves Limited, authorised and registered by the Financial Conduct Authority. Firm reference number 960923. You can check this on the Financial Services Register at register.fca.org.uk
