Crowds gathered in central Hull today to show their respect for servicemen and women who lost their lives in conflict. A military parade left Queen Victoria Square before moving down Carr Lane and turning north at the Ferensway junction to arrive at the Cenotaph.
That was followed by a service led by The Lord Mayor’s chaplain, the Reverend Louisa Haynes and clergy from Hull Minister and wreath laying. Poppies were laid at the Paragon Street Cenotaph by veterans and current Armed Forces personnel, along with members of the public.
At 11am the crowds observed a two-minute silence, joining thousands across the country led by His Majesty King Charles II, who was joined by members of the Royal Family, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and a host of former Prime Ministers and senior figures at the Cenotaph in London. About 10,000 armed forces veterans are said to have taken part in the Royal British Legion’s march through Whitehall.
At the London ceremony a gun was fired to mark the end of the silence before the Last Post was sounded by the Buglers of the Royal Marines. The King was said to have departed to applause from the crowd after the national anthem was sung at the end of the ceremony.
A smaller Armistice Day service is due to take place at the Cenotaph in Hull on Tuesday, November 11, organised by the Royal British Legion Hull branch, which the Lord Mayor will also attend. That will mark the end of fighting in WW1, which occurred on the same date at 11am in 1918.
Earlier this week, an event was held at Hull Paragon Interchange to honour those who served and travelled from Hull during wartime. Actors dressed in authentic WWII uniforms handed out poppies and remembrance cards to travellers and members of the public who had attended the ceremony, which was part of the Railway 200 programme marking 200 years since the opening of the world’s first public railway in 1825.