Thousands pay tribute on special Armistice day
COMMUNITIES across the borough of Stockport came together to remember those who fought for our freedom on Sunday.
Thousands of people attended services of remembrance at war memorials and in churches, wreaths were laid and crowds fell silent for two minutes in honour or all those who have lost their lives in conflicts over the years.
To mark the important anniversary of 100 years since the end of the First World War, a series of commemorative events took place across Stockport town centre, culminating in a lantern parade and beacon lighting.
Residents of all ages joined the parade of 400 lanterns made by schools, community groups and in public workshops, as it made its way from Stockport Market Place to the War Memorial Art Gallery on Sunday evening, stopping at St Peter’s Square for a theatre performance which took the audience on a journey from the trenches to a field hospital to life back home in Britain in peacetime.
The War Memorial Art Gallery was illuminated and a beacon was lit by the relatives of Stockport’s Victoria Cross recipients, Graham Wood, the grandson of William Wood VC, and Deborah Fox, the great niece of James Kirk VC.
Bells then rang out for peace, as they did across the UK on the same date in 1918.
Four new exhibitions and installations opened their doors at the art gallery – Wire War Horse, a striking, life-size, wire and steel horse, The Art of Remembering, a display of First World War artefacts from Stockport Museum, They Shall Not Grow Old, which examines how we commemorate fallen heroes through photography and mixed media, and We Are Dreamers, an installation of ‘dream boxes’ illustrating the hopes and dreams left behind when soldiers went to war.
“Yesterday was a very special day in our nation’s history as we came together to remember all those who lost their lives in the Great War, which was brought to a close a century ago,” said Coun Alex Ganotis, the leader of Stockport council.
“It was moving to see thousands of local residents come out to pay their respects and remember those from Stockport which made the ultimate sacrifice, both in that conflict and those which have followed. The events which took place provided a very fitting tribute to each of them.”