Birmingham will fall silent on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as the city remembers the fallen on Sunday – 100 years after the First World War ended.
A Day of National Remembrance Service will take place on Colmore Row, opposite St Philip’s Cathedral, on 11 November, attended by military veterans and representatives of the region’s armed forces.
The parade will include ex-service personnel, regular, reserve and cadet units from the Armed Forces who, with representatives of other local uniformed organisations, will march on from Temple Row from 10.30am.
At 10.50am the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Yvonne Mosquito, and Chaplain Rev Msg Canon Robert Corrigan will – along with senior representatives from the Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy – walk from the Council House to Colmore Row.
The service will begin at 10.55am.
A two-minute silence will be observed at 11 am, after which wreaths will be laid at the Cenotaph by Armed Forces representatives, veterans and dignitaries. The event will end with a march past at 11.40am.
The Lord Mayor, who will unveil a commemorative stone outside the Hall of Memory before the service, said: “This year, as we mark the centenary of the First World War ending, we will honour our promise never to forget all those who sacrificed so much.
“While we mark this poignant anniversary, we take the opportunity to remember all men and women who have died while serving their country, at war and in peacetime.”
Members of the public are encouraged to attend and pay tribute to the men and women who lost their lives in service.
Following Sunday’s service, a free exhibition of films, photos and memorabilia – Birmingham At War, organised by Ladywood History Group – will be open to the public at the Council House from 12 pm to 4 pm.
The Library of Birmingham, acting as the city’s beacon of light, will be lit red, white and blue on Sunday, as beacons are lit across the country at 7pm.
