Armistice & Remembrance Day events: Communities to come together across the West Midlands to remember those who fought and fell in conflict

It's the time of year where the nation gathers together to pay their respects and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

There will be parades, services and moments to reflect as cities and towns across the region mark Armistice Day on Sunday. November 10 and Remembrance Day on Monday, November 11.

It will see veterans, civic leaders, members of the Royal British Legion and the public gather in town squares, at cenotaphs and in front of council houses to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty.

Members of the public will be able to line the streets to see the parades go by and there will be opportunities to lay wreathes and pause for two minutes of silence, preceded by The Last Post and followed by The Reveille.

All council and civic leaders will be part of events across the region on both Sunday for Remembrance Day and Armistice Day on Saturday, including large scale events at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas and the RAF Museum in Cosford.

It will be an opportunity for people to come and pay their respects to those who fell in the service of their country.

Stafford Armistice Day and Remembrance Day events

Services to commemorate the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the first World War will take place in Stafford across both days.

Members of the armed forces will parade through Stafford town centre on November 10 as part of the town’s traditional Remembrance commemorations.

Remembrance Sunday will begin with a short service from 10.50am followed by wreath laying at the Borough War Memorial in the town’s Victoria Square. 

Wreaths will then be laid at the County War Memorial before the parade by local servicemen and women.

The march will pass through the Market Square where a salute will be taken by the Borough Mayor, Councillor Frank James, civic dignitaries, and members of the armed forces.  

Stafford Borough Council expect service personnel from the town’s 22 and 16 Signal Regiment, and Tactical Supply Wing of the RAF, as well as representatives from The Royal British Legion, Staffordshire ACF Corps of Drums, and local cadets, to be part of the parade through the town centre.  

The following day (Monday 11 November) prayers and a two-minute silence will be held as part of the Act of Remembrance in the Market Square from 10.50am. 

The short ceremony will include a trumpeter playing the Last Post and Reveille.Councillor James, said he hoped local people and families would join him to mark such an important time in our history.

He said: “This is an important day in our calendar where we come together as a community and remember the sacrifices that brave men and women gave in conflicts across the world to keep us safe and protect the freedoms that we have today and this must never be forgotten.”

Dudley Armistice and Remembrance Sunday services

The Mayor of Dudley will pay tribute at Armistice and Remembrance Sunday services in Dudley.

On Sunday, November 10, a Remembrance Day service will take place at the cenotaph in Ednam Road at 10.45am.

Current and ex-service men and women, along with families of the fallen and community groups, will parade from Vicar Street at approximately 10.20am and will move along High Street, Stone Street, Priory Street, Priory Road and stop on Ednam Road by the cenotaph. 

Uniformed organisations will meet on High Street from 10am.

Several road closures will be in place including Priory Road, Ednam Road, New Street, Tower Street, Priory Street, Stone Street, St James’s Road, Parsons Street, Market Place, High Street, Wolverhampton Street, Union Street and Vicar Street.

On Monday, November 11, veterans will also join council staff, councillors and members of the public at the First World War Clock Tower Memorial in Priory Street for the annual Armistice Day event to mark the end of the First World War.

The service, which starts at 10.55am, includes the laying of wreaths and a two-minute silence.

Priory Street will be closed for some of the morning, with alternative routes signposted throughout the closures.

Councillor Hilary Bills, Mayor of Dudley, said: “Remembrance Sunday gives citizens of the borough the opportunity to pay their respects to all who have made the supreme sacrifice for their country.

“It is our chance to give thanks and pay tribute to all those who serve or have served in the armed forces, and I would encourage everyone in the local community to join us.

“All are welcome to pay their respects by placing a poppy in the special cross of remembrance in the Market Place, which will be in place until Friday, November 22.”

Sandwell Armistice and Remembrance Day events

There will seven parades across Sandwell’s six boroughs on Sunday, November 10 with representation from the West Midlands Lieutenancy for each parade. 

Parades will be followed by services, where a two-minute silence will be observed at war memorials at 11am. 

The events have been organised by the Royal British Legion, Sandwell Council staff, local community groups, with support from Sandwell Council.

The services will take place in Great Barr at St Margaret’s Church, Oldbury at Oldbury Civic Square, Rowley Regis at Powke Lane Cemetery, Smethwick at Smethwick Council House, Tipton at Victoria Park, Wednesbury at Memorial Gardens and West Bromwich at Dartmouth Park.

The Mayor of Sandwell, Councillor Syeda Khatun MBE, said: “Remembrance Sunday is a day to pay respect to all the men and women who have sacrificed their lives and remember all our armed forces and their families. 

"I hope residents are able to attend one of the seven services taking place in Sandwell.

“I would like to thank everyone who has helped organise Sandwell’s Remembrance parades and services. 

"The day would not be possible without the dedication and support from the Royal British Legion, all our wonderful volunteers and our residents.” 

Walsall Armistice and Remembrance Day events

In Walsall, the Remembrance Day parade through the town centre and service at the Cenotaph in Bradford Place will take place on Sunday, November 10.

Residents can come along and watch the parade and take part in the service, which is attended by military veterans and armed forces representatives.

The Mayor of Walsall, Councillor Anthony Harris, will lead the Remembrance Day tributes on behalf of Walsall Council. 

Rev. Canon Rob Hall, vicar of St Paul’s and St Luke’s in Walsall, will conduct the Service of Remembrance, and David Frost CBE DL, Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands, will join others in laying a wreath.

The Mayor of Walsall, Councillor Anthony Harris, said, “Remembrance Sunday is an important time for us to come together to pay our respects as a community to those who have served in the armed forces. 

"I am honoured to be taking part in the service in the town centre and I hope many people in our communities will come along and attend one of the many services taking place across the borough.”

Councillor Adam Hicken, the Armed Forces Champion at Walsall Council said, “This year, Walsall Council was awarded a Silver Award in the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme (DERS) for its commitment to service personnel and the armed forces. 

"Today is a chance to remember and reflect as we pay tribute to their bravery and sacrifice.”   

The parade will begin at 10.25am in Hatherton Road and Hatherton Street and it will take a route past the Council House, and down Lichfield Street, Lower Bridge Street, The Bridge and Bradford Street, arriving at the Cenotaph in Bradford Place at 10.35am.

Music will be provided by the Staffordshire Band and the parade will feature representatives from 159 Theatre Support Company, Cheshire Regiment Association, Mercian Volunteers Regimental Association, Walsall Sea Cadets, Queen Mary’s Grammar School Combined Cadet Force and various uniformed youth organisations.

The service commences at 10.40am in the Cenotaph Garden and the service will be amplified, and a sign language interpreter will relay it for the hard of hearing.

The two-minute silence will be observed at 11am.A bugler from the Staffordshire Band will sound ‘The Last Post’ and the ‘Reveille’.

Wreaths will then be laid at the Cenotaph. At the conclusion of the service, the parade will return via the same route to the Council House, where the Mayor of Walsall will take the salute and mace bearers and standard bearers will flank the saluting base. 

The Mayor of Walsall will then place a wreath at the John Carless VC Memorial.

Waseley Hills Remembrance Day Memorial Service

Waseley Hills Cemetery & Crematorium is holding a special Remembrance Day Memorial Service on Monday, November 11.

The event will take place at 11am, when a poppy wreath will be laid in the grounds at the War Memorial.

Between 10am and 12noon, the crematorium’s chapel will be open to enable visitors to have quiet moments of reflection.

Those who attend will also be able to write letters or cards which can be placed into the crematorium’s Letters To Heaven memorial post box.

Cemetery & Crematorium manager Claire Montague said: “Honouring lives of people who have passed on is a big part of what we do here and it feels fitting that we should commemorate Remembrance Day.

“As a nation, it’s important that we never forget those who gave their lives for us.

“Everyone is welcome to join us at our open chapel event to reflect on and remember those who fought and died in the armed forces.”

Hundreds of veterans, serving military personnel, reserves, cadets and other organisations will march through Wolverhampton City Centre on Remembrance Sunday.

The parade steps off from Wulfruna Street at 10.30am and the public are encouraged to line the route.

Led by the Pipe Band of West Midlands Fire Service, the parade will make its way into Princes Square, right in Lichfield Street, right into Exchange Street and into St Peter’s Square.

Wolverhampton Remembrance Day Memorial Service

Once assembled in the square on Sunday November 10, the parade will be joined by civic dignitaries for an outdoor Service of Remembrance which is open to the public to watch.

A two-minute silence will take place at 11am before the laying of wreaths at the city’s cenotaph.

This will be followed by a service of remembrance inside St Peter’s Church.

Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor Linda Leach, said that she hoped as many people as possible will turn out to watch and participate in this year’s event and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

She said: “At a time when our world often feels unstable and frightening, people value our armed forces more than ever.

“Remembrance Sunday is a way for us all to show our appreciation for those who have laid down their lives fighting for our freedom and to remember their valour and service.

“Wolverhampton has a proud tradition of coming together on this sacred day to honour the fallen and I know that once again people will come out in their thousands to line the parade route and observe the service.

“I will be wearing my poppy with pride and I would urge everyone to do the same and show their support for the work of the Royal British Legion.”

The public are advised city centre road closures will be in place on the morning of November 10 to enable the parade to take place.

Wulfruna Street will be closed from 8.30am until 11am. The rest of the parade route will be closed to all traffic from 10.30am to allow the parade to march through safely and will reopen at approximately 10.50am.