Hush falls across region as tribute to war dead

Staff at York railway station were among those who observed the two-minute silence as a mark of respect under the station’s clock.

In Leeds, thousands of people lined Victoria Gardens during a civic service outside Leeds Central Library and Leeds Art Gallery. Hundreds of serving and former Forces personnel marched from Leeds Civic Hall to the war memorial.

Chairman of the Leeds branch of the Royal British Legion, David Marshall, who served with the 10th Royal Hussars in Jordan during the Suez Crisis, said he had noticed more people were attending the Leeds service each year.

“I think it’s encouraging that people do come and attend and that people are remembering and thinking about the Forces and what has happened and what sacrifices have been made, and of course it’s been brought to the fore more due to Iraq and Afghanistan,” Mr Marshall said.

In Sheffield city centre, the Royal British Legion held a two-minute silence alongside the First World War memorial in Barker’s Pool following a remembrance service attended by local dignitaries on Sunday.

The Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Coun Vickie Priestley, said: “It was a very important moment for me to represent the people of Sheffield in remembering those who lost their lives in wars both past and present.

“I was deeply humbled by the people I met, from all ages and backgrounds.

“The two-minute silence may only last a short time, but remembering is something we do every day.”

Meanwhile, three Yorkshire schoolchildren travelled to Brussels to join hundreds of others attending a special Last Post ceremony under the Menin Gate in Ypres, which was also witnessed by the Duke of Edinburgh. The gate marks the starting point for one of the main roads out of the town that led Allied soldiers to the front line during the First World War.

Evie Fyfe from Northallerton College and Daniel Lack and Nicole Lack from St Mary’s Primary School in Knaresborough were part of a group of British schoolchildren who made the trip by Eurostar.