Remembrance Day 2018: How Skegness area remembered our World War One heroes on Armistice 100

In Skegness, residents gathered around St Matthew’s Church roundabout in Scarborough Avenue for the arrival of the Armistice Day parade.

Representatives of the local branch of the Royal British Legion stood side by side with members of armed forces organisations, local councillors, the MP for Boston and Skegness Matt Warman, youth organisations and schools to lay their wreaths.

The ceremony was led by the Rev Richard Holden with the Last Post sounded at 11am, followed by two minutes’ silence.

Thousands of people unable to attend watched the Skegness Standard Facebook Live broadcast, including one viewer from Abu Dhabi .

Many commented on the moving ceremony with much ‘respect’ for the role played by the youth organisations and schools.

There was also concern as the breeze blew over some of the wreaths and delight as they were turned over again.

Mayor of Skegness Coun Sid Dennis said he wanted to thank everyone who turned out in the cold for the ceremony.

“It was marvellous, especially to see so many youth organisations and schools taking part.” he said.

“I was also pleased to see the wreaths that people had made themselves. A lot of effort has gone into marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War and rightly so.”

Among the veterans proudly wearing his medals was Cliff Newton, representing four generations of his family who have served with the Royal Leicester Regiment for the Royal Artillery.

“We are all here for many reasons,” he said. “I’m third generation and served in German in the early 1950s in the Cold War. For me it’s always a very emotional occasion to come to the Memorial in Skegness on Remembrance Day.”

Following parades in other towns and villages in the Skegness area, there were more events to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

Special lunches for veterans took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Skegness and St Peter’s Hall in Ingoldmells.

It was 1940s Remembered at Philip Grove Community Centre, Church Road South, Skegness, where residents who had braved the cold for the parades were able to tuck into wartime favourites such as fritters, corned beef hash, spinach soup and dumplings and bread pudding.

In Spilsby there was a Remembrance Day afternoon tea in Franklin Hall, Spilsby, to be followed by the lighting of the Beacon at 6.30pm.

Tonight in Skegness from 6.30am, the is to be a Global Cry for Peace by the Town Crier outside the Hildreds Centre.

*For more stories and pictures of how the Skegness area marked this special day, see this week’s Skegness Standard. The live broadcast of the laying of wreaths in Skegness can be seen on the Skegness Standard Facebook page.