Horsham comes together for Armistice Day commemorations

Prayers were led by the Reverend Cannon Lisa Barnett and the Exhortation was delivered by the chair of the Horsham Branch of the Royal British Legion Zäl Rustom. The Last Post was sounded by leader of Horsham District Council, Councillor Martin Boffey.

Neighbouring schools and organisations also attended.

There was a one-minute silence at 11am after which official wreaths were laid, led by Horsham District Council chair Councillor Joanne Knowles on behalf of the people of Horsham.

At the end of the service the War Memorial was opened for public wreath laying.

After the remembrance service a commemorative peace tree was planted by Councillor Knowles in The Causeway.

The tree is a ginkgo tree which is a symbol of peace and regeneration. Ginkgo trees survived the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and the species is also viewed as being a particularly climate resilient tree with great autumn colour.

The original peace tree was planted in the Carfax in 1986 to commemorate the United Nations' International Year of Peace. Unfortunately, the tree had to be removed earlier this year following the discovery of significant decay, which presented a risk to public safety.

The council chose to undertake the planting on Armistice Day, as it provides a fitting opportunity to reflect upon and honour all those who have served, sacrificed, and worked towards securing peace around the world.

Additionally, this year we also conducted a short service of commemoration at Hills Cemetery in Horsham in memory of Polish soldier Captain Czeslaw Witold Chojnicki who has a grave in the cemetery.