Large numbers of villagers lined Old Lane, the Cross and Eastgate on a misty, but thankfully dry morning, to watch the Remembrance Day parade in Bramhope.
The parade was led by the standard bearer and officers of the local branch of the Royal British Legion, Alex Sobel MP, attending his first Remembrance Day Commemoration in Bramhope, Sandy Needham, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, and Hilary Harris, Chair of Bramhope & Carlton Parish Council.
The parade was made colourful by the large contingents of Scouts, Guides, Cubs, Brownies, Beavers and Rainbows, whose flags had been blessed at an earlier service at St Giles.
The crowd then gathered around the Memorial Gardens, filling Eastgate entirely, for the service led by the Vicar of St Giles, Matt Broughton. After the two minutes silence a wreath was laid on behalf of the King by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, a wreath was laid by Alex Sobel, MP, and further wreaths as tributes from the Royal British Legion, the Parish Council, the emergency services and the youth groups. In an always touching part of the service, the Reverend Roger Smith, the Methodist Minister, read out the names of the fallen as a miniature cross was planted for each name by relatives and by members of the different Scout and Guide organisations.
The Last Post, the Exhortation (Lest We Forget), Reveille and the Kohima Epitaph confirmed the touching and solemn nature of the event which concluded with the crowd singing Abide With Me and God Save the King.
The Church Service was held at the Methodist Church, impressively decorated with banners and vivid crocheted poppies.
Alex Sobel MP gave a moving reading of the well-known verses from the Book of Micah forecasting a time of universal peace “and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares.”
The Reverend Matt Broughton then built on this theme in his address, asking for an even-handed peace and reconciliation in the Middle East.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here