05 November 2020
Watch Guildford Borough Council’s Service Of Remembrance Live On Facebook
The borough council’s Service of Remembrance, this Sunday at 11am, will be broadcast live on their Facebook page to allow all residents to commemorate with the borough council.
“The private ceremony, held in our castle grounds, will follow government guidelines to keep all participants and residents safe, but we invite everybody to join us online to honour those who served their country with such bravery. The broadcast will begin at 10.30am at www.facebook.com/GuildfordBC.
The castle grounds will be closed to the public during the event, but the War Memorials will be open for the rest of the day for people to visit, pay their respects and lay wreaths.
Our service will be led by Revd Canon Robert Cotton, Rector of Holy Trinity St Mary’s Church, with wreaths laid by Col Patrick Crowley, Deputy Colonel of The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, Member of Parliament for Guildford, Angela Richardson MP, the Deputy Mayor of Guildford, Cllr Marsha Moseley, Leader of the Council, Cllr Joss Bigmore, Managing Director of the Council, James Whiteman, and individual representatives of our local service organisations and emergency services. Bugler WO2 Peter Bryan, Band Sergeant Major (BSM) of The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment Band will play the Last Post and Reveille.
Deputy Mayor of Guildford, Cllr Marsha Moseley says:
“Whilst we are not able to invite our residents to join us in person, we want to share this moment of great national and local importance with them by inviting them to reflect with us, in the safety of their homes, on the sacrifices made by members of our Armed Forces. I will pause with the rest of the nation to observe the two-minute silence and remember the bravery and determination of our soldiers. We shall be forever in their debt.
“Thousands of people have already been able to watch our VJ Day and VE Day ceremonies in this way, and we hope that they will again join us in paying tribute to those who lost their lives serving their country. We will never forget those who served with such distinction, and it is important that we continue to honour them in whatever way we can.”
Leader of the Council, Cllr Joss Bigmore says:
“Current Coronavirus (Covid-19) restrictions do not allow us to hold public events so we are sadly unable to mark these significant and very special occasions as we would like to this year. However, we hope that all residents of the borough are able to join us online to commemorate Remembrance Sunday.
“We were determined to find a safe way to all come together to remember and honour the brave men and women who fought for our freedom. The castle grounds will be closed to the public for these services at the WW1 and WW2 Memorial but will re-open soon after. If you do visit on Sunday, please ensure you follow all government guidelines to maintain social distancing with no more than six in a group.”
He continued: “Our ‘Guildford Remembers’ flags are already flying in the castle grounds and on our Guildhall balcony, with the Castle Keep and the Guildhall also lit in red to show our support for the Royal British Legion’s poppy appeal.”
Revd Canon Robert Cotton, Rector of Holy Trinity St Mary’s Church says:
“I am delighted that all of our residents will have the opportunity to join us on such an important day. Remembrance Sunday is very personal to all of us, as we remember family members and loved ones who have served our country, but it also unites communities in respect and reflection. I hope that this event can bring us all closer together at a time when we need the support of our friends and neighbours more than ever.”
November 2020 also marks the centenary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey, in honour of the hundreds of thousands of servicemen and women who lost their lives in World War One and never received a proper burial.”
