A welcome return to in-person Remembrance Sunday services

Remembrance Week in Woodingdean

Seven local services to take place in Brighton & Hove this Remembrance Sunday

Remembrance Week is one of the most important weeks of the year for the city and the country, culminating tomorrow on Remembrance Sunday.

 

The event is particularly significant event this year given that last year’s ceremonies were restricted to the public due to the social distancing restrictions during the pandemic.

 

There was no public poppy appeal collections for the first time and the ceremonies that did occur were restricted to 6 people under the social distancing requirements.

 

We owe a great deal of thanks to those that continued the traditions last year at these scaled down ceremonies across the City:  Organisations such as the Brighton and Hove Branch of the Royal British Legion made sure wreaths were laid and occasions were appropriately marked throughout the pandemic period, including last year’s Remembrance Sunday but also other events such as VJ Day and VE Day.

 

As a veteran myself I attended a number of last year’s scaled-down ceremonies as part of the small party of 6 that was permitted.  While these were certainly poignant occasions, they were just not the same without members of the public being able to attend to watch the marches, support the veterans and participate in the traditions.

 

It is these traditions that are so important to Remembrance week and it is very important that they are now able to be resume.

 

Aptly, this year the Royal British Legion is marking 100 years since the nation’s collective Remembrance Traditions were first brought together.  The poppy, two-minute silence, Armistice Day, the service for the Unknown Warrior, and the march-past at the Cenotaph are traditions that millions participate in.

 

Stunning photos released by the Brighton Museum provide a reminder of how important these traditions are locally, with the images showing thousands of people attending the Old Steine War Memorial for the Armistice Day in 1937, standing in rows a hundred deep on all sides of the memorial.

 

There is deep history of the residents of Brighton and Hove being involved in these conflicts that shaped our country; with this marked at war memorials in almost every corner of the city.  These memorials are there to remind us what this city went through and what it sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy today and serve to underline the importance of participating in the Remembrance events.

 

During the past few weeks it has been heartening to see these traditions highlighted by the Royal British Legion returning to the City and once again being embraced by the residents, as they were before the pandemic.

 

Street collections for the annual poppy appeal have returned, with 40,000 collectors across the county back on the streets raising funds.  The poppy appeal has always been a key tradition that connects with local people and is once again making a visible impact in my own ward of Woodingdean.

 

On Thursday the two-minute silence for Armistice Day was marked at both Brighton and Hove’s main war memorials.

 

And on Sunday, seven remembrance services are set to be held across the City which are open to the public to attend.  Here are the full details:

 

  • Regency Square, Brighton (9am):  The Royal Sussex Regimental Association will hold a short service at the Royal Sussex Regiment Memorial.
  • Old Steine War Memorial, Brighton (10.30am):  A Parade will form at Madeira Drive in front of the Sea Life Centre at 10.30am, to be followed by a full service at the Old Steine War Memorial at 11am.  Armed forces of the Crown, Ex-Service Organisations and Youth Organisations such as the Cadet Force will be represented.
  • Easthill Park Memorial, Portslade (11am):  A wreath-laying ceremony will be held at the Portslade Memorial on Manor Road.
  • Hove Cemetery (11am):  A short wreath-laying ceremony will take place first at the North Gate Memorial, followed by the same ceremony at the South Gate Memorial.
  • Rottingdean (11.30am):  A Parade will form at the lower High Street at 11.30am, followed by a Remembrance Service at 12 noon at the Village Green.
  • Hove War Memorial, Grand Avenue (2.30pm):  A short service and official wreath laying ceremony will be followed by a March Past, Salute, Parade to All Saints Church and a Civic Memorial Service.
  • Brighton & Hove Reform Synagogue, Hove (4.30pm):  The Brighton & Hove Branch of the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen will hold a service at the Synagogue on Palmeira Avenue at 4.30pm.  Head coverings to be worn.

Most services ask that those attending assemble 10 minutes prior to the advertised start time.

 

I hope that you will join a service this Remembrance Day, 14th November and continue the fine traditions of Remembrance in Brighton and Hove.