Armistice Day: The ITV Border region remembers

Communities across our region fell silent today as people stopped to mark Armistice Day.

In Cumbria, Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders there were ceremonies at war memorials to mark those who had lost their lives in conflict before silence was observed at 11am

This annual event marks the anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire which brought the First World War to an end in 1918 and it was observed throughout the UK and beyond.

Workington's new sculpture of a Border Regiment story. Credit: ITV Border

One of the most striking additions to this year's marking of the event was in Workington's Vulcan Park, where a wooden statue of a soldier in the Border Regiment was unveiled by the town's mayor shortly before the silence. It was created by Wales-based sculptor Simon O'Rourke

This was commissioned about two years ago but had not been set up due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The mayor, Cllr Herbert Briggs, thought it was a great addition to the town.

He said:

Numerous other ceremonies took place in the region.

One of the most notable was in Gretna, where the 226 victims of the Quintinshill rail disaster in 1915 were remembered.

Veterans charity the Royal British Legion has said that the day is an important event in the calendar and allows people of all ages to pay their respects to those who lost their lives in warfare.

  • Cllr  Archie Dryburgh, Armed Forces Champion for Dumfries and Galloway

This Sunday is Remembrance Sunday, when people will once again observe a silence at 11am to remember war dead.

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