‘I think of friends I lost’: veteran councillor reflects this Remembrance Sunday”
The service will start at 10:50
Members of the public are being invited to attend this year’s Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in Christchurch Park today (Sunday 9th November), where veterans, armed forces personnel, and civic leaders will gather to honour those who have served.
The service, organised by the Royal British Legion and Ipswich Borough Council, will begin at 10.50am, preceded by a parade from Elm Street through the town centre from 10.15am.
Councillor Alasdair Ross, Ipswich’s Armed Forces Champion and a veteran himself, said it’s a day that has grown in meaning over time.
“When you first join the army, it’s just another day, you don’t really fully understand the implications of it,” he said. “But over the years, especially after Iraq and Afghanistan, I think it became much more significant, not just because of those we lost, but those who were seriously injured.”
Cllr Ross, who served in the Green Jackets and then the Rifles for 25 years, said he is encouraged by how Ipswich has embraced remembrance.
“The best bit is the number of young people there,” he said. “It’s fantastic to see how many schoolchildren attend the events on Sunday and Tuesday. It shows that remembrance really does matter to the next generation.”
"You shut everything else out and think about them"
This year’s Armistice Day services will take place on Tuesday 11 November at the Fields of Honour in the Old Cemetery and at the Cenotaph in Christchurch Park. The two-minute silence will be marked at 11am, signalled by the traditional maroons.
Cllr Ross reflected on the two-minute silence as a deeply personal moment.
“I tend to think of two or three people close to me who lost their lives, some in conflict, others later on,” he said. “You shut everything else out and think about them for those two minutes.”
He also spoke about how he views the poppy appeal and the use of national symbols.
“I wear a poppy for my own personal reasons, because I’m remembering friends,” he said. “If people don’t want to wear one, that’s their choice, and that’s a freedom people before us fought for.”
Cllr Ross praised local support for veterans in Ipswich and the work of charities such as Combat2Coffee and the Royal Anglian Regimental charities, saying:
“We’ve got better at looking after veterans, and the government has improved too. Most of us just want to be treated equally, not put at the bottom of the list when we come home.”
"We thank those serving today"
The Mayor of Ipswich, Cllr Stefan Long, said the annual commemorations are a vital opportunity for the town to come together.
“We come together to remember those who gave their lives to protect our democracy and freedoms,” he said. “It’s also important that we thank those serving today, and support the Royal British Legion by buying a poppy.”
Following Sunday’s service, Cllr Long and Lady Clare Euston, the Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, will take the salute at the March Past.
Road closures
Rolling road closures will be in place for the parade between 10am and 10.45am, and again between 12.30pm and 1.15pm, affecting roads through the town centre including Elm Street, Westgate Street, Cornhill, Tavern Street, and Northgate Street.