Thousands of veterans and civilians gathered in Oxford on Sunday to pay tribute to those who have died in conflict since the First World War as services were held around the country to mark Remembrance Day.
The service at St. Giles War Memorial at 10.45am was at the centre of the commemorations, with large-scale ceremonies also held at St. Helen’s Church in Abingdon and at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Botley. Right Reverend John Pritchard, the Bishop of Oxford, was joined by representatives from other faiths to lead a short, multi-faith service, before two minutes of silence were observed at 11am in a gesture of respect co-ordinated across the UK.
Veterans from a number of conflicts, from the Second World War up to the present day, laid wreaths. Onlookers applauded as they paraded down St. Giles after the service, joined by dozens of local groups, including the Bugles and Drums Detachment Oxfordshire, Battalion ACF, Oxford University Royal Naval Unit, the Royal Green Jackets association and the Fire Services Benevolent Association.
In London, over 10,000 veterans and civilians assembled at Whitehall’s Cenotaph, the centre of Britain’s commemorations, for the Remembrance Day procession. The Queen laid the first wreath on the Cenotaph, marking the 61st Remembrance Day of her reign, while David Cameron was one of four British Prime Ministers to lay a wreath, accompanied by John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. In Wales and Scotland, ceremonies were held at Cardiff’s Welsh National War Memorial and at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh.
The Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond and Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, attended a special service in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, where 446 British troops have died over the course of a 12 year long conflict.
“This year’s Remembrance Day Service in Camp Bastion will be the last large-scale act of remembrance in Helmand as we bring more and more of our troops home before the completion of combat operations at the end of next year”, he said.
