January 15th 2026
Values and Standards to Live By
During Assembly on Thursday, pupils in Years 3 to 8 were lucky to hear a short talk from Major Bernie Broad about his history in the military and specifically life as a double amputee. Major Broad talked about the values and standards that the military instil in you- loyalty, integrity, courage, discipline, selflessness and respect – and how closely interlinked they are. If you break one, you break them all.
Bernie talked about losing his legs in Afghanistan from an IED and detailed the types of prosthetics and gadgets he uses to enable him to live as normal a life as possible, and continue going on adventures (like climbing mountains all the time!). He made everyone laugh with tales of his ever-changing height as he was 6ft 6 before he lost his legs and then dropped to 6ft 1 but has settled on 6ft 5 to keep his wife happy!
Following this, Bernie went in to more details with pupils in Years 6 to 8. He was in the military from 2002 to 2014 after leaving school at 16. He knew from the age of 4 that he wanted to be a soldier to the queen, with his dream to be in the Grenadier Guards. He emphasised the importance of setting goals to achieve your dream and choosing the right mentor.
Bernie went through details of his career and adventures, as well as his experiences of leading the team at the Invictus Games before taking questions from the pupils. It was a fascinating and inspiring morning.
A huge thank you to Simon Bonney, father of Joss and Old Mole Gilby, who bid on a talk from Major Broad at a charity auction and then kindly donated it to Moulsford. Everyone who had the privilege of hearing Major Broad speak found it inspirational and uplifting.
