Waveney towns fall silent for Armistice Day

The normally busy town centre of Beccles fell silent as the clock on St Michael’s Church tower struck 11am.

Veterans, current servicemen and women, civic dignitaries, men and women along with children, all stopped to pay tribute to those who had made the ultimate sacrifice in the world wars and other conflicts.

Organised by the Beccles branch of the Royal British Legion, standard bearers lowered their standards as a bugler sounded the Last Post.

Mayor of Beccles, Caroline Topping, joined the official party which included representatives of the local army, RAF and sea cadets in New Market.

However, their ranks were swelled by the members of the public who all wanted to pay their respects.

Traffic stopped and there was only the occasional cry of a baby during the immaculately observed two minute silence.

Armistice Day ceremonies were also held in towns and villages across the Waveney area.

In Halesworth veterans and RBL officials were joined by children from the town’s Edgar Sewter Primary School at the ceremony held in The Thoroughfare.

And in Bungay the town centre fell silent as about 100 people observed the national two minutes silence at the War Memorial.

The brief ceremony, in the shadow of St Mary’s Church, was attended by town reeve Michael Davies and town mayor Sylvia Knights, and the standards of the men’s and women’s section of the Bungay branch of the Royal British Legion were paraded.

Branch chairman Bob Honeywood said the exhortation.