All across Dorset towns and villages fell silent in two minutes of remembrance to pay respect to the fallen.

Weymouth honoured fallen heroes, veterans, and serving members of the armed forces on Remembrance Sunday with a poignant and heartfelt traditional service starting at 10.58am from the Cenotaph.

The two-minute silence was marked with a pair of loud blasts from a cannon fired on the beach by a member of the Nothe Fort Volunteer Artillery.

A wreath was then laid by the mayor on behalf of the town’s resident before the parade travelled to the American memorial to pay respects.

Mayor of Weymouth, Ann Weaving, said: “A lovely service as always. This is the best turnout I have seen in years, even before the pandemic.

“My grandparents always referred to servicemen as ‘our boys’, and growing up that is how I have come to think of them. Our boys.”

Those in attendance included military representatives, local associations, youth groups, and MP for South Dorset Richard Drax.

Many in attendance were former or active service members.

Dorset Echo:

  • Veterans saluted at the Weymouh Remembrance parade

 

Paul Compton, 76, who served in the Merchant Navy as a captain, said: “The service was brilliant, very well attended and the standard improves every year.

“It is good to see people celebrating the sacrifice of our fathers, brothers and friends. This event is also good for highlighting what is happening in the world, no one in my generation thought we would see another war in Europe in our lifetimes.

Derek Norman, 65, who lives in Weymouth, spent 22 years in the RAF and attended to pay respect to lost friends. He said: “It is important to remember both the old and the new.

“It is good to see so many youngsters attending, because it is them who will carry on the memory, which will include my own one day.”

Gary Jones, 52, from Weymouth served in the Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) and the Royal Logistics Corps. His service includes the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan. He said: “I lost a friend last year named James Honnor, and in the first Gulf War I lost a good friend from the RCT Terry Hills.

“We don’t just remember the ones we knew, we remember them all.”

In Dorchester, the Remembrance Sunday service was held at the war memorial at the bottom of South Street at 10.55am and a short service at the German war memorial at Fordington Cemetery at 12.45pm.

Portland’s service was held at the cenotaph near the Portland Heights Hotel at 10.55am.

READ: Bridport falls silent on Remembrance Sunday

Respects were also paid across west Dorset, with parades in Bridport, Beaminster and Lyme Regis. 

Dorset Echo:

  • Respects paid at the war memorial in Bridport   Picture: Graham Hunt Photography 

Hundreds watched as the parade made its way from East Street, Bridport, to the war memorial on South Street for the ceremony.