St Albans district marks Remembrance Day: With gallery

RESPECTS were paid to the men and women who sacrificed their lives to fight for their country at Remembrance Day services held across the district on Sunday.

Crowds gathered to lay poppy wreaths and take part in a two-minute silence in St Peter’s Street, St Albans, as part of the annual Remembrance Day parade.

A procession was led down the street to the war memorial just before 11am, which was attended by the mayor of St Albans Cllr Eileen Harris, the city’s macebearer, members of the air, sea and army cadets and other uniformed services.

HM Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire and the Countess of Verulam also joined the crowds for a 30-minute service held by the Vicar of St Peter’s Church, the Rev Anne Hollinghurst.

During the service there were contributions from the Masorti Synagogue, Bangladesh Mosque and St Albans Islamic Centre, as well as the Trinity United Reform Church and the Roman Catholic Church.

And in Harpenden war veterans, town mayor Cllr Nicola Linacre, honorary townsmen, holders of the Award of Merit and honorary aldermen were invited to parade from the Royal British Legion Headquarters in Leyton Road.

Following the procession a special service was held at the memorial cross in Church Green, and people commemorated fallen comrades by laying wreaths and planting crosses.

The ceremony was also attended by 89-year-old Maurice Drake, who served in the RAF during World War Two and is the former president of the Harpenden RAF Association.

His daughter Alex Lee said: “It meant a lot to him because there are very few of his contemporaries now who are still alive. There were a lot more people there than normal and I thought it all went very well.”

Remembrance services were also held in Wheathampstead, Redbourn, London Colney and Park Street.