Remembering the fallen

October 28, 2015 by Southend Borough Council

Remembering the fallen

Wednesday 28th October 2015

Southend-on-Sea’s annual Remembrance Day commemoration takes place on Sunday 8th November at the Cenotaph on Clifftown Parade.

Everyone is invited to come along to share in this chance to pay their respects to those who laid down their lives in the two World Wars and other conflicts since then.

The programme is as follows:
10am at Prittlewell Square – Veterans and members of other uniformed organisations will assemble with standard bearers
10:20am – parade lines up
10:30am – the Queen’s Colour Party will march to the head of the parade which then moves off towards the Cenotaph.

They will be followed by representatives of Southend’s faith communities led by Major Andrew Bale of the Salvation Army who is chaplain to the Worshipful the Mayor of Southend Councillor Andrew Moring.

The parade will stand to attention until the Mayor arrives.

At 11am, the chimes of Big Ben will be heard.

The Remembrance Day Service begins with the playing of the Last Post and the exhortation - delivered by Mr Bryan Emery, past chairman of Essex County branch of the Royal British Legion. This ends with the words ‘We will remember them’ which will be repeated by everyone.

Then the two minutes silence will begin.

The end of the silence will be signalled by the Reveille followed by the Kohima epitaph given by Mr Philip Hopkins of the Burma Star Association.

Then the service will continue with the hymn: ‘I vow to thee my country.’

While this is being sung, the Mayor 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.

After some bible verses spoken by the Mayor’s Chaplain Major Andrew Bale, the hymn ‘Abide with Me’ will be sung. During this, the Veterans Associations will lay wreaths.

Then the Bishop of Bradwell, the Rt Rev John Wraw will lead prayers, followed by a reading given by Rabbi Binyamin Bar, an address by Major Andrew Bale and then the hymn: ‘O God our help in ages past’

While this is being sung, Southend Youth Mayor, Sarah-Jane Glew, representatives of schools, other organisations and individuals will also lay wreaths.

Major Bale will give a blessing before the National Anthem is played. Then the parade will form up again and the Mayoral party will proceed to the dais between the Cenotaph and Prittlewell Square, to take the salute and march past.

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.

The Worshipful the Mayor of Southend, Councillor Andrew Moring said: “The Remembrance Sunday event is an extremely important occasion.

“It is our chance to gather together to publicly honour and pay tribute to all those brave men and women who gave their lives in the two World Wars and other conflicts since.
“We want to show our continuing gratitude to every one of them for making the supreme sacrifice in the service of others.
“We hope as many people as possible will join us for the commemoration ceremony so we can collectively salute the heroism of those who gave everything.
“It is even more significant as we keep reaching landmark centenaries of different aspects of the Great War, bringing events of this horrific conflict back to the forefront.
“In addition we also welcome people to join the Armistice Day event at the top of Southend High Street for the two minute silence at 11am on Wednesday 11th November.”

A number of temporary road closures will be in operation for the parade on Sunday 8th November:
Temporary road closures in Southend
The following roads will be temporarily closed to traffic - with no entry, waiting, loading or unloading allowed from 9:45am until 12:30pm
Westcliff Parade Eastwards from its junction with Trinity Avenue to its junction with Wilson Road
Clifftown Parade
Clifton Terrace
Prittlewell Square
Devereux Road
Marine Avenue
Wilson Road from Alexandra Road to Clifftown Parade
Meanwhile traffic will be temporarily prohibited from waiting, loading or unloading in Clifftown Parade from 8am until 12:30pm along the whole southern section and on the North side from Wilson Road to Prittlewell Square

Temporary road closures in Shoeburyness
The following roads will be temporarily closed to traffic between 10:30am and 11:45am:
Campfield Road from Ness Road to West Gate
New Garrison Road from Campfield Road to St George’s Lane
Although New Garrison Road has been scheduled to be closed for more than an hour, the closure is likely to last no more than 15 minutes within that time
Between 9am and 11:45am, traffic will be temporarily prohibited from waiting, loading and unloading at Campfield Road from Ness Road to West Gate

Temporary road closures in Leigh
From 2:30pm until 4:45pm, the following roads will be temporarily closed, and during that time traffic will be prohibited from entering, waiting, loading or unloading:
Leigh Broadway from Leigh Hill to Broadway West
Elm Road, Leigh from Glendale Gardens to Broadway
Rectory Grove from Lymington Avenue to Elm Road
North Street from West Road to Elm Road

Although the road closures are scheduled for more than two hours the closures are likely to last for no longer than 15 minutes at 2.40pm hours and then 45 minutes between 4pm and 4:45pm

From 2:30m until 4:45pm there will also be a temporary two way traffic flow in North Street between Elm Road and East Street