Lest we forget – Remembrance Day Service

November 7, 2017 by Southend Borough Council

Southend-on-Sea’s annual Remembrance Day commemoration takes place at 11am Sunday 12 November at the Cenotaph on Clifftown Parade.

Everyone is invited to attend the Remembrance Day Service to honour and pay their respects to those who laid down their lives in the World Wars and other conflicts since.

At 11am, the chimes of Big Ben will be heard and the Remembrance Day Service begins with the playing of the Last Post and the exhortation - delivered by Mr Keith Fletcher, Chairman of the Leigh-on-Sea branch of the Royal British Legion. This ends with the words ‘We will remember them’ which will be repeated by everyone.

This will begin the traditional two minutes’ silence. The end of the silence will be signalled by the Reveille followed by the Kohima epitaph, the service will continue with the hymn: ‘I vow to thee my country.’

During the hymn, The Worshipful The Mayor, Cllr Fay Evans, will lay a wreath on the Cenotaph on behalf of Southend residents and the members and officers of Southend-on-Sea Borough Council.

A Cross of Remembrance will be laid on behalf of War Widows, and other wreaths will be laid by the Essex county branch of the Royal British Legion, the Burma Star Association, the county’s Police, Fire and Ambulance services, and representatives of the faith communities.

The Mayor’s Chaplain, Father Clive Hillman, will address the congregation followed by the hymn ‘Abide with Me’, during which, the Veterans Associations will lay wreaths.

Archdeacon of Southend, The Venerable Mike Lodge, will lead the prayers followed by a reading given by Rabbi Binyamin Bar, an address by Father Clive Hillman and the hymn: ‘O God our help in ages past’

During this hymn, Southend Youth Mayor, Maise Riley. and Deputy Youth Mayor, Yasim Bey, along with representatives of schools, other organisations and individuals will lay wreaths.

Finally, Father Clive Hillman will give a blessing before the National Anthem is played. The parade will form up and the mayoral party will proceed to the saluting dais between the Cenotaph and Prittlewell Square.

Hymns and other musical contributions during the event will be played by Southend Citadel Band of the Salvation Army, while the 1312 (Southend-on-Sea) Air Training Corps Band will lead the parade.

Councillor Evans said: “The Remembrance Sunday Service is humbling and extremely important.

“It is when we gather to publicly honour and pay tribute to all those brave men and women who gave their lives in the World Wars and other conflicts since.

“We will show our continuing gratitude to every single one of those men and women for making the supreme sacrifice in the service of others.

“We hope many will join us for the commemoration ceremony so we can collectively salute the heroism of those who gave everything.

Additionally we also welcome people to join us this Armistice Day at the top of Southend High Street for the two minute silence at 11am on Saturday 11 November.”

For further details about the Remembrance Day Service – and for information about road closures on the day – please visit www.southend.co.uk/remembrance