Cacophony ruins Remembrance
Tram works angle grinder pierces silence
IT was the two-minute silence for the Fallen that fell on deaf ears. Until moments before 11am on Remembrance Sunday, there was an air of stillness around Centenary Square.
But just as a bugler began to herald the annual silence in memory of the Fallen, an angle grinder fired up on the nearby West Midlands Metro works at the other end of Centenary Square.
The grinding cacophony continued throughout the period of silence.
A former member of the Irish Guards, Ray Collister said the disturbance was an “unintentional lack of respect” before adding: “It’s a shame, such is life.”
One Metro worker said: “One person complained to me about the noise. I am sorry for the disturbance, but we were not told about it.”
Tamworth-based Mr Collister served in the Irish Guards for 25 years.
He was at the front of the gathering for the two-minute silence outside of the Hall of Memory.
Sitting in his wheelchair, the father-of-two, 63, said afterwards: “The noise was disrespectful, but I don’t think it was intentionally done. It’s just that somebody didn’t tell the workers it was 11 o’clock.
“Unfortunately, as time goes on, more people have less respect and that’s the way it’s going to be. It’s a shame. It’s a total lack of respect, but such is life.”
The Irish Guards was formed on April 1, 1900 by Queen Victoria ‘‘in recognition of the many acts of courage and bravery’’ performed by Irish regiments during the Second Boer War.
“Somebody has got to keep the candle burning and each generation passes it on to the next generation,” said Mr Collister. “It’s a lot easier for soldiers to do it, because we know what it’s all about.
“For civilians who have nobody in the Army, it’s a bit more difficult to understand how important it is to remember those who have fallen in conflicts.’’
He added: “The Government gave us permission to come out, but I think we would have come out no matter what. It’s not just about servicemen who have died in action, it’s those who have killed themselves since because of post traunatic stress.
“We had a young guy who killed himself last week, so it’s quite poignant at this stage that we do show our respect.”
Socially distanced commemorations also marked Armistice Day across Birmingham on Wednesday.
Much of the British public was forced to observe the traditional two minutes’ silence from home at 11am, due to restrictions on gatherings and travel.
At what would ordinarily be a busy concourse at Birmingham’s New Street station, rail workers, commuters and police officers observed the silence.
Elsewhere, it was marked with a small mask-wearing turnout at Birmingham’s Hall of Memory. Former Royal Artilleryman John Dolphin, who is chairman of the Federation of Birmingham Ex-Service Associations, was one of a small number of people to lay a wreath at the memorial site. Emergency services workers also marked Armistice Day, with ambulance crews, firefighters and police standing in silence outside their bases across Birmingham and the Black Country.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex laid wreaths during an Armistice Day service at the National Memorial Arboretum, in Lichfield.