How Harborough will commemorate Remembrance Day today

A brief but poignant ceremony will go ahead in Market Harborough town centre this morning (Wednesday) to commemorate Remembrance Day.

A maroon, a special rocket, will be fired in the Memorial Gardens on The Square to mark the start of the national two-minute silence at 11am.

The time and date are both powerfully symbolic as that’s when the armistice to end the First World War was declared at 11am on November 11, 1918 after four years of bloody warfare.

Some 254 servicemen from Market Harborough were killed serving their king and country in the Great War and 72 people lost their lives in the Second World War.

Stewart Harrison, 73, chairman of the Market Harborough branch of the Royal British Legion, said: “It is all-important that we pay this special tribute to all of those, both from Harborough and beyond, who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the world wars as well as other conflicts.

“They laid down their lives so that we could enjoy the freedoms and liberties we have today.

“They will never grow old and we will never forget them.”

The RAF and Army veteran added: “We have had to salute the fallen in a very different way this November because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s very regrettable.

“But we understand why this is the case – and we have to put saving lives and staying safe first.”