Crescendo of silence as Yorkshire remembers at home

Old soldiers will remember their fallen comrades as they do every year, but this time they will be scattered to the four winds, as they were when they were at war.

Memorials across the region will be swept by autumn leaves but not by the marching of feet, as remembrance becomes a matter for private contemplation, not public grief.

But, said Dan Jarvis, the Barnsley MP, Mayor of Sheffield City Region and a former Army Mayor, the nation would remain together in spirit if not in person.

“There’s no getting away from the fact that this year’s period of remembrance will be like no other before,” he said.

“We owe those who put their lives on the line for us a massive debt. Their sacrifice must always be commemorated. In that respect, this year is no different.”

Writing in The Yorkshire Post today, Mr Jarvis says the decision to cancel remembrance services across the region is partly in deference to the few surviving veterans of the Second World War, among them Barnsley’s Tom Hicks, now 101, who was parachuted into Arnhem before being captured and sent to a prisoner of war camp.

“This isn’t an excuse to use vapid ‘Blitz-spirt’ platitudes. Following the public health guidance is onerous and inconvenient but we can’t lose sight of why we need to comply with the rules – to protect people like Tom,” Mr Jarvis said.

The Government has excluded Remembrance Day commemorations from the current ban on events and ceremonies, provided organisers take the necessary precautions. But most towns and cities have abandoned plans for gatherings at the most significant sites.

The ceremony in Sheffield will now consist of a brief wreath laying and a rendition of The Last Post by a lone bugler, which will be broadcast on YouTube and Facebook tomorrow morning and repeated on Wednesday, Armistice Day.

Julie Dore, leader of the city council, said that while the ceremony in the city centre had always been well attended, “I’m sure everyone will understand that in light of the ongoing pandemic, remembering at home is the safest way to mark the occasion”.

The timing, on the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, made the cancellations all the more poignant, she added.

Skipton is also marking Remembrance Day with a ceremony online. It was filmed on Wednesday by Holy Trinity Church, the local branch of the Royal British Legion and the town and district councils. Canon Dr James Theodosius, rector of Holy Trinity, said: “Nothing can stop us from sharing the hopeful vision of those who have gone before us – a simple vision of peace, forgiveness and love. This little film is our way of keeping that vision of hope and freedom alive.”

Across Bradford, councillors will lay wreaths at war memorials where services would normally be held. Plans to light the City Hall in red will go ahead, but officials have urged residents and veterans not to gather there.

In Hull, a service and wreath laying will take place on Armistice Day for a small number of invited guests.