Date issued: 5 November 2019
The traditional Remembrance service and wreath-laying ceremony will be held at the War Memorial on Colchester High Street, from 10.45am, on Sunday 10 November.
Some 135 soldiers from the town’s 16 Air Assault Brigade and 36 Signal Squadron, 71 (City of London Yeomanry) Signal Regiment will be on parade, alongside civic dignitaries including the Mayor of Colchester, Cllr Nick Cope and the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Essex Nick Charrington. A 105mm Light Gun from 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery will fire, to mark the beginning and end of the two-minute silence at 11am.
The Mayor of Colchester, Cllr Nick Cope, said: “The growing numbers attending Colchester’s Service of Remembrance in recent years is a mark of the public’s increasing respect and concern for members of Britain’s Armed Forces, which I welcome just as they do.
“On this special day of Remembrance, I would encourage everyone to join me to honour those lost in war and to spend time to reflect on the sacrifice of former and current service men and women, to whom we all owe an enormous and enduring debt of gratitude.”
Lieutenant Colonel Jim McManus, Commander of Colchester Garrison, added: “It is vitally important that we in the military join with the civilian community to mark Remembrance. The military is drawn from society and those we remember were sons, daughters, wives, partners, husbands, brothers and sisters as much as they were soldiers, sailors and airmen. There is an added poignancy for Colchester this year, in that the town’s 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment is currently on operations in Afghanistan.
“In the shared moment of silence, we remember with gratitude the sacrifice of all who have given their lives for others, not only in the First and Second World Wars but in the many military operations and conflicts that have taken place since. We remember too, the families of the Fallen and all those who have been injured and still today bear the scars of war.”
Following the ceremony, the British Army Band Colchester will lead serving soldiers, veterans and youth organisations through the town centre, to be received by the Mayor at a reception in Moot Hall.
Four large poppies currently feature prominently on the Town Hall balcony, in tribute to the victims of war.
On Monday 11 November, to mark Armistice Day, Mayor Cope will lead a two-minute silence on the steps of Colchester Town Hall at 11am, alongside soldiers from the Garrison, civic dignitaries and council staff, which the public is also invited to attend.
Page last reviewed: 5 November 2019