All upcoming Remembrance Services in Eastbourne

Eastbourne will come together to commemorate Armistice Day with a series of events next month, including the Sunday Service of Remembrance on November 8.

The annual Service of Remembrance, which takes place at the War Memorial, begins with a military parade through the town watched by hundreds of residents and visitors.

Led by representatives from the military, ex-service personnel, emergency services and other organisations, the procession will start from Terminus Road precinct at 10.25am before moving along Cornfield Road to the War Memorial.

On arrival, they will be joined by civic dignitaries, including the Mayor of Eastbourne and the Deputy Lieutenant of East Sussex, Professor Nick Webborn CBE DL, who will lead a parade from the Town Hall at 10.30am to the War Memorial, where the service will begin.

A thanksgiving service conducted by the Mayor’s Chaplain, Reverend Jonathan Gaylord will be accompanied by musicians from the Eastbourne Citadel Salvation Army Band and the Scottish Pipe Band. The service will include a two-minute silence at 11am and the official wreath-laying.

The service concludes with a parade by ex-military personnel along South Street. To facilitate the event, a number of road closures will be put in place between 10am and 1pm.

The Mayor of Eastbourne, Councillor Margaret Bannister, said: “Remembrance is a deeply poignant time for Eastbourne as we honour the extraordinary courage and sacrifice of all those who have served within the armed forces and emergency services, and their families too.

“The incredible turnout we see year after year is a testament to the strength of shared gratitude within our community. It is our duty to ensure that the sacrifices of those who served are never forgotten and that we continue to stand in solidarity with our veterans and active service personnel today.”

Other Remembrance Services

Eastbourne’s Remembrance events will begin with the annual Concert of Remembrance by Eastbourne Silver Band at Our Lady of Ransom Church in Grange Road on Sunday 1 November at 2.30pm, also attended by the Mayor of Eastbourne.

On Sunday 8 November, a service at the Ruthless Memorial at Butts Brow will honour the crew who lost their lives when the World War II USAAF Liberator bomber crashed into the downland above Willingdon in 1944. Led by the Royal British Legion and attended by the Mayor of Eastbourne, the service begins at 3pm, with attendees meeting at Butts Brow car park at 2.45pm.

On Armistice Day – Wednesday November 11 – there will be a service at 10.40am at the War Memorial Houses in Victoria Drive attended by the Mayor of Eastbourne. These houses and memorial were funded by the residents of Eastbourne at the end of WWII as a tribute to those who died or were injured in action, and are still used today as homes for ex-service personnel with medical disabilities and their families.

For more information on events in Eastbourne, visit VisitEastbourne.com or contact Eastbourne Tourist Information Centre on 01323 415415.