'Emotional' service in Portsmouth as city marks Armistice Day at Guildhall Square

ARMISTICE Day has been marked in Portsmouth with an ‘emotional’ event that returned after last year’s Covid-19 disruption.
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More than 100 people gathered in Guildhall Square to pay their respects during a ceremony to mark Armistice Day, commemorating the end of the First World War.

With readings from the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Councillor Frank Jonas and Reverend Canon Bob White of St Mary’s Church, long-standing attendees said the event was one the busiest in recent years.

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Poppy seller Reverend Brizz Miles-Knight, who has sold poppies to support the Royal British Legion for more than 12 years, said: ‘This is the most amount of people I have seen for a number of years.

Veterans and serving military personnel taking part in the Remembrance service held in Portsmouth Guildhall on Thursday morning. Photos by Alex ShuteVeterans and serving military personnel taking part in the Remembrance service held in Portsmouth Guildhall on Thursday morning. Photos by Alex Shute
Veterans and serving military personnel taking part in the Remembrance service held in Portsmouth Guildhall on Thursday morning. Photos by Alex Shute

‘It’s good to see so many people come out and pay their respects.’

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Veterans praised the service, which also saw readings from the city’s school children and performances from the Portsmouth Military Wives Choir.

Among the veterans standing around the cenotaph during the ceremony was Portsmouth resident Alex Speight, a former army medic who served during the First Gulf War.

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The 51-year-old said: ‘It was very emotional. It’s really important that we never let these events go.’

‘In my role as a medic and after leaving the service, I know that mental health issues can be a massive part of coming home. It’s important that we remember all our veterans.’

Alongside Alex were veterans of an older generation who praised the city’s commitment to remembrance events – but felt that more should be done to highlight the frequently forgotten conflicts that took place during their service.

Gordon Hartburn, an 82-year-old former army armourer, said conflicts including the Suez Crisis, the Aden Emergency, and conflicts across the former British Empire were all overshadowed by reflections on the two world wars.

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He said: ‘We are part of the forgotten wars. They were all conflicts – but they are never mentioned.’

Former radio operator Mike Noonan, a 78-year-old Paulsgrove resident, added: ‘It was part of the end of the British Empire. And I think the generations that remember the days of the empire are passing.’

Remembrance events took place across the city and the surrounding areas, with a large gathering trainees gathering for a service at HMS Collingwood in Fareham.

Captain Catherine Jordan, commanding officer at HMS Collingwood said: ‘Taking the time to conduct this act of Remembrance is vitally important, both as a poignant reminder of the sacrifice of those who have fallen in service to our country, but also of the pledges we make to defend our country should we be called upon to do so.’

Poppy sales ‘very quiet’

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POPPY seller Brizz Miles-Knight said sellers in the city had lost thousands of pounds in donations due to Covid-19 disruption last year and donations remained very low.

He said: ‘The pandemic really did have an effect on us. And we were short of stock, because the poppy factory was closed. And we’re still feeling the effect this year.

‘My area is Commercial Road and it has been very quiet. I have not known a year like it. I have had some days where I have had no money at all. I think people are concentrating on Christmas.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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