Hundreds pay their respects on Remembrance Sunday

Hearts were filled with both pride and sorrow as Coventry marked Remembrance Sunday.



Hundreds packed out the city’s War Memorial Park to honour the fallen, with the promise of ‘We Will Remember Them’ even more poignant than ever as 2014 marks the centenary of the start of the First World War.

Poppies were worn proudly on the chest of everyone from young children through to the humble band of war veterans, determined to pay tribute to their fallen comrades despite some of them having reached their 90s.

The Remembrance Sunday parade began in Spencer Road, Earlsdon, and saw members of the armed forces marching alongside standard bearers, cadets, police officers and St John Ambulance crews as they made their way to the cenotaph in War Memorial Park.

It was in the park that they came to a halt and joined the vast crowds around the sun-kissed memorial for the Remembrance Service, which was led by The Right Reverend Dr Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry.

He said: “It is always a solemn occasion when we gather as a city on this day.

“Whatever your faith or beliefs, and whatever your background or nationality, we are here to remember those that have suffered in war. Especially those that have laid down their lives in the cause of freedom.

“The night of November 14 1940 is always on our minds on this day. The dark night that was lit by the burning of our city and the death of our people.

“At the same time, we come together in this memorial park and the 3,500 people from Coventry who died in the First World War lay heavily on our hearts.

“By this date in 1914 - four months in to the Great War - around 90,000 British and Commonwealth servicemen had died.

“At the same time there had been around 670,000 German casualties - twice the population of Coventry. The figures of death and casualties of World War One astound us.

“Our hearts and minds are also taken to the present where unspeakable violence and dreadful cruelty have plunged Syria and Iraq in to a spiral of violence that seems to have no end.

“And our own forces have been drawn there, facing great danger again.

“We stand as the people of Coventry in this park to remember the past and rebuild for the future.”

Among the veterans in the crowd was World War Two hero Jim Robinson, 93, who served his country valiantly and fought at the Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome.

He was at the service to pay his respects and also to see his 15-year-old great-grandson, George Mee, marching as part of the 163 Squadron Air Cadets.

Jim said: “I had no idea about him being involved until this morning - it will be a very proud day for me.”

Nuneaton crowds honour the fallen on Remembrance Sunday



Youngsters stood shoulder-to-shoulder with old soldiers for a sun-blessed Remembrance Service in Nuneaton’s Riversley Park.

There was a larger crowd than normal, as the 100th year of the start of the First World War was commemorated, while people were also asked to reflect on sacrifices made in all other conflicts.

The Rev Helga Cornell said: “Thousands died for our freedom. We cannot look them in the eye or shake them by the hand. But we can remember them.”

Among those laying wreaths were Denise Carter, mother of teenage Fusilier Louis Carter, who lost his life in Afghanistan five years ago, and Grenadier Guardsman Scott Blaney, who was severely injured in the same country in 2007.

“I always consider Remembrance Sunday to be one of the highlights of the year and to be asked to be part of such a special event in my home town is a massive honour,” said 27-year-old Cpl Blaney.

Still in the army and now working as a full-time motivational speaker, he placed a ring of poppies at the foot of the Boer War statue, on behalf of the mayor and the borough council.

Before the start of the service a recently-completed Book of Remembrance, listing everyone from Nuneaton and Bedworth killed in action in all wars, was dedicated and placed on the memorial plinth.

A parade, to and from the town centre and the park, featured bands from the local air and army cadets while hymns were accompanied by musicians from the Salvation Army.

The marching ranks included serving members from the Bramcote-based Royal Signals, plus ex-servicemen and retired Gurkhas and representatives of the council, scouting groups and the emergency services.

Bedworth Armistice Day parade: Hundreds line streets to pay respects



Hundreds of schoolchildren lined the streets and waved flags to become part of a Bedworth tradition stretching back 93 years.

They stood among crowds of people of all ages who turned out for an Armistice tribute which has been held in the town every November 11th since shortly after the end of the First World War.

For a long time commemorated by just a handful of ex-servicemen, the event is now one of the largest in the country, featuring a massed parade and a moving service.

"It just seems to get bigger every year, with more youngsters coming along than ever before," said Gil Leach, chairman of the organising committee.

"There were groups from all the local schools, including some from Coventry, and it is nice to see the involvement spanning so many generations."

Ranks of medal-wearing veterans from various regiments proudly marched alongside regular soldiers and teenage cadets and were applauded all the way from Church Street, past the Almshouses and into the Coventry Road cemetery.

They gathered around the war memorial, behind 30 standard bearers, as the Rev Frank Seldon led the service, speaking from a dias facing out onto a packed main road.

He said: "We are not here to glorify war or the supremacy of any country but to remember all those who died in pursuit of freedom.

"We are here to acknowledge publicly that people have given their lives for our freedom and to pray for everyone who has suffered through war."

The RAF Association chaplain, whose son has seen military action in Afghanistan, added: "Since the end of the Second World War there has not been a moment of peace, with someone, somewhere awaiting conflict.

"Peace is fragile and delicate, just like a poppy."

Among those laying wreaths was the mayor, Coun Brian Hawkes, the local MP – and former army major – Dan Byles, the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire Timothy Cox, and county council chairman Coun Brian Moss.

There was also a ring of poppies, bearing a Superman motif, placed by Carol Valentine, mother of Bedworth’s Sgt Simon Valentine, who was killed in Helmand Province in 2009.