greater Manchester falls silent for armistice centenary
greater Manchester falls silent in tribute to the fallen
GREATER Manchester joined the country in tribute to the nation’s war dead on the centenary of the Armistice.
Two minutes’ silence at 11am marked 100 years since the signing of the treaty which ended the battle on the Western Front of the First World War at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.
The Queen led the nation in remembrance from a balcony overlooking the Cenotaph.
At the national memorial in Whitehall, the Prince of Wales laid a wreath at the Cenotaph on behalf of his mother for the second year in a row, while an equerry laid a wreath on behalf of Prince Philip.
The Queen was flanked by the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge – while the Duchess of Sussex, the Countess of Wessex and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence stood on neighbouring balconies.
The President of Germany, FrankWalter Steinmeier, also laid a wreath on behalf of the German people – the first time since the Cenotaph was inaugurated in 1920 that the country has been represented in the UK’s national service of remembrance.
The Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, Princess Anne, the Duke of Kent and Prince Michael of Kent all laid tributes to Britain’s veterans.
Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also laid wreaths at the foot of the Whitehall memorial, along with Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow.
Marked by the chiming of Big Ben, the traditional two minutes’ silence was held at 11 o’clock.
And across Greater Manchester, those who made the greatest sacrifice were remembered.
They remembered the 23,792 brave soldiers from Greater Manchester who died in the First World War – and all those who have made sacrifices before and since.
At St Peter’s Square, tributes were led by service and ex-service organisations and faith leaders.
The annual Remembrance parade was followed by two minutes’ silence, starting and ending with the firing of a gun from the town hall.
After the service, a march-past outside Manchester Central Library was observed by the Lord Lieutenant, the Lord Mayor of Manchester and senior representatives from the Army, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. In the city centre from 12.30pm, bells rang out in unison from Manchester Cathedral, St Ann’s Church, the Hidden Gem Church and other locations – part of a national tribute to mark the centenary.
The sound of the bells echoed across the country – a symbolic way to give thanks and replicate the national outpouring of relief that took place at the end of the First World War as news of the Armistice filtered through.
At 6.55pm, a bugler sounded the Last Post outside Manchester Cathedral and at 7pm, a beacon was lit outside Manchester Cathedral as part of the nation’s “Beacons of Light” movement.
In Rochdale, a parade and service at The Esplanade war memorial was mirrored across the area in Heywood, Littleborough, Middleton, Milnrow, Norden and Wardle.
In Salford, crowds gathered at the Albert Bentley Place war memorial, while in Swinton, a parade ended at the Salford Civic Centre war memorial.
People also made their way to services in Walkden, Cadishead and Little Hulton.
Veterans and standards assembled in Bury for the parade, while in Bolton the two-minute silence was marked by loud gun fire.
Services were also held in Westhoughton, Astley, Blackrod, Bromley Cross, Farnworth, Horwich, Kearsley, and Little Lever, where a service was held outside Coronation Square.
In Wigan a two-minute silence was
followed by a service and the sounding of the Last Post, while in Abram, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Aspull and Atherton, Golborne, Hindley, Ince-inMakerfield, Leigh and Lowton, Platt Bridge Shevington, Standish and Tyldesley, those who gave their lives were remembered.
In Oldham a procession led to a ceremony at the war memorial opposite the town hall. Services also took place in Chadderton, Crompton, Failsworth, Lees, Royton and Bardsley.
In Altrincham, a service took place at the Dunham Road garden of remembrance. No doubt the former residents of Chapel Street were among those in the community’s thoughts. From just 60 houses, 161 men answered the call to arms as volunteers.
Of them, 29 were killed in action and a further 30 died from their injuries later. Services were also held in Bowdon, Hale, Hale Barns, Partington, Sale, Stretford and Urmston. Tameside also fell silent. The main service was in Ashtonunder-Lyne, while residents in Cockbrook, Hurst, Park Bridge, Audenshaw, Denton, Haughton Green, Denton West, Droylsden, Dukinfield, Hyde, Newton, Werneth, Mossley and Stalybridge attended services across the borough.
In Stockport, the mayor led the borough at a Civil Act of Remembrance on the steps of Stockport War Memorial Gallery. Elsewhere, processions and services took place in Bramhall, Bredbury, Cheadle, Cheadle Hulme, Compstall Brow, Gatley, Hazel Grove, Heald Green, Heaton Mersey, Heaton Moor, High Lane, Marple, Reddish and Romiley.