Armistice Day 2016 in Notts: Silence will honour war dead

Remembrance poppies

Members of the Royal British Legion will gather in Old Market Square on Friday for a two-minute silence to commemorate Armistice Day.

The event will take place in front of the Council House at 11am and mark the signing of the armistice between the Allies of the First World War and Germany.

Tom Huggon, deputy lord-lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, will read the Act of Homage and a bugler from Nottingham High School will play the Last Post.

The Lord Mayor and Sheriff of Nottingham’s chaplain will also be taking part in the service.

Gedling poet Bruce Lakin will recite a poem he has written entitled ‘Poppy Fields’.

Mr Lakin, who had relatives who fought in both World Wars, also read out a piece last year called ‘Mother Dear’.

He said: “It’s a period of time that I think should never be forgotten, and the more we can talk about it, the more the story continues over time. Sadly the tales get less and less to tell, as the people aren’t there to talk about it any more.

“Conditions were atrocious, and young lads were frightened. They must have been thinking about home, mums and dads, brothers and sisters – none of us will ever know how it was.”

Members of the public are also welcome to come along, with the service starting at 10.55am.

The annual Civic Service of Remembrance will then take place at the Memorial Gardens, at the Victoria Embankment, on Remembrance Sunday (November 13).

The act of homage will be conducted by the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, Rt Revd Paul Williams, and delivered by Air Vice-Marshall Robin Turner CB, of the Royal British Legion.

The public are invited to attend at 10.30am.

A minute’s silence was also held at the City Ground on Saturday before Nottingham Forest’s 1-1 draw with QPR.

‘Poppy Fields’ by Bruce Lakin

Poppy fields as full as far as you can see
They grow for the dead soldier’s family
Our boys fought hard in the place where they grow
How many died we will never know

Thousands and thousands and many more
That Mam is the tragedy of war
So when you walk through the fields of red
Never forget the wounded and dead

The poppies are memories when in full bloom
There’s a photo of our son in our front room
Poppies are the most beautiful flower
As Churchill said they fought our finest hour

But we must not forget the nurses God bless them
Without whom we would have lost many men
It’s those girls and all their care
Stitching the wounded with flesh that was bare

Working their magic 24 hours a day
To fight in a war many miles away
Far from home and their families
Oh to see their loved ones to hold and to kiss

So just to see poppies for miles and miles
It was tears and sadness with very few smiles
But our boys dug in and held their ground
With the Hun approaching there was no sound

Then guns ablaze and barrels red hot
Down they fell shot after shot
God bless you lads for what we have and can see
You fought in a land that stood with not one tree

But we’ll never forget you for what you have done
You fought that great war and you won
So a poppy I’ll wear on the 11th November
When we all stand still at eleven to remember

We will all wear our poppies with so much pride
And we’ll never forget our soldiers who died
To give us our freedom to live our lives well
Remember the poppy fields where so many fell