News
November 12th 2018
Remembrance Sunday in the East Midlands
Parade in Melton Mowbray
Remembrance Sunday was particularly poignant this year because it marked 100 years since the Armistice that ended the fighting of the First World War, in order to respect this occasion Cadets and Reservists have been involved in hundreds of events on a local, national and even international level.
LNR parade in Northampton
Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland Army Cadet Force (LNR ACF) not only paid their respects in towns, villages and cities they also sent some of their cadets to join an international contingent commemorating the centenary at the Menin Gate in France.
At home LNR ACF had cadets on parade in Northampton, Oakham and Leicester, Cadets also spent Saturday supporting the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal in Melton Mowbray.
They were not the only ACF County supporting the Poppy Appeal, with Worksop Detachment of Nottinghamshire ACF selling nearly £2000 worth of poppies on Saturday.
On Sunday the detachment paraded in Worksop while other detachments paraded in Sutton in Ashfield, Mansfield and Clipstone but the largest parade of the day saw 86 cadets and 13 adult volunteers march through Southwell.
Lt Ward warming up at Derby Cathederal
Derbyshire ACF attended a lot of the parades around the county but Bandmaster Lieutenant Peter Ward had the highest honour, He had the opportunity to start the day of commemoration by playing ‘When the Battle’s O’er’ at dawn on top of Derby Cathedral.
Several of Derbyshire’s cadets also attended the Derby County Football Club match on Saturday where they laid a wreath of remembrance on the pitch before kick-off.
It wasn’t only Army Cadets who paid their respects this remembrance weekend, the Air Cadets and the Sea Cadet Corps also turned out in their hundreds to support events and parades across the East Midlands.
384 (Mansfield) Squadron paraded in their town but they also took part in a tree planting ceremony in Mansfield Woodhouse.
384 (Mansfield) Squadron at the tree planting ceremony
The Sea Cadets in Newark, Chesterfield, Lincoln, Northampton and Broughton Astley marched proudly through their hometowns. For Chesterfield though it was just a small part of the weekend’s remembrance duties.
Their cadets took part in three parades, laid a wreath during Chesterfield Football Club’s FA Cup tie and took part in the Eve of Remembrance dinner run by Mickleover Royal British Legion.
Reservists from all three services supported their local remembrance events.
HMS Sherwood joined the Nottingham ceremony at Victoria Embankment but also sent two of their shipmates to lay a wreath during the Derby County FC match.
Cadets at the memorial service at Victoria Embankment in Nottingham
East Midlands Universities’ Officer Training Corps went to the beacon lighting ceremony in Nottingham and helped the University of Nottingham to commemorate their students who went to fight in World War One. East Midlands Universities’ Squadron also attended the parades in the four cities they are based in.
Army Reservists supported parades in Lincoln, Boston, Chesterfield, Nottingham, Derby, Northampton and joined in a special commemoration service at Chetwynd Barracks.
