We marched as usual to All Saints Church for 3pm, and marched back at 4pm to the War Memorial in the Town Hall. The All Saints service was well attended, as we sang well known hymns including I vow to thee my country and Now thank we all our God.
As we placed wreaths in the Town Hall and held the silence between the bugle notes I could only think of Afghanistan. How many more deaths will our forces suffer there? How much longer before the policing tasks can be undertaken wholly by local personnel?
It was a bitter blow to learn that on the very day we remembered all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, another of our brave soldiers was killed in Afghanistan. We need to draw our involvement there to a close. As Northern Ireland showed, deeply troubled countries need political initiatives to stop or limit the violence.
Many people turned out for Remembrance Day. We all felt we wanted to say a big thank you to past generations who had to fight for the freedoms and very survival of our country. We will also have had our own thoughts about the current conflicts.
I would like to thank all who organised the event and who participated to make it such a moving occasion.