Lord Mayor to lead Leeds in act of remembrance

This year, the act of remembrance will be held at Victoria Gardens on Sunday, 9 November. At 10:50am, a procession of dignitaries will leave Leeds Civic Hall, before falling in behind a parade of ex-servicemen and women, veterans’ organisations, and current serving military personnel, who will lead the march to the war memorial from Rossington Street.

Above: The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen.

Amongst those joining the Lord Mayor to lay wreaths will be HM Vice Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Helen Thomson, the Deputy Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor Debra Coupar, members of parliament and other political representatives, together with family representatives of the fallen.

The multi-faith service at the war memorial will be led by the Bishop of Kirkstall, Right Reverand Arun Arora, with contributions from the Lord Mayor’s Chaplain - Rabbi Anthony Gilbert, Senior Imam Qari Muhammad Asim MBE, and the Very Rev Canon Father Matthew Habron.

At 11am, attendees will join the rest of the nation in a two-minute silence, which will be preceded by a bugler sounding the Last Post. The service will be broadcast on two big screens located in Victoria Gardens to allow members of the public who are not near the front to watch the proceedings.

Following the service, the Lord Mayor and civic representatives will move to Millennium Square, where a salute and march past will take place.

The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen, said: “Coming together as one community to remember those who fought and died for the freedoms we enjoy today is more important than ever in these troubled times.

“Therefore, it is my great honour to lead our city in its act of remembrance and pay tribute to the service and sacrifices of the British and Commonwealth armed forces of two world wars and all other conflicts since 1945.

“We also use the occasion to recognise the sacrifices of those who have lost their lives due to conflict or terrorism and mark the vital role played by the emergency services and civilians.”

Originally instituted to remember those lost in the First World War, the Remembrance Sunday service is held every year on the second Sunday in November, the closest Sunday to Armistice Day on 11 November. Today, the service commemorates the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian men and women of two world wars and all the conflicts since 1945.

To mark Armistice Day on Tuesday 11 November, there will be a short service with no parade from 10:50 at Leeds’s Victoria Gardens War Memorial, with wreaths laid by the Lord Mayor and HM Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire.