Remembrance Sunday: Here are some of Worthing's spectacular Armistice Day tributes

This weekend marks the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, and communities across Worthing and Lancing are coming together to pay tribute to the soldiers who made such huge sacrifices in defence of their country.
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Here is a round-up of some of the commemorative events taking place on and around Armistice Day.

Crimson waterfall – Worthing Town Hall

A spectacular tribute to the centenary was unveiled at Worthing Town Hall on Friday, with more than 7,000 hand-knitted poppies forming an enormous crimson waterfall.

One of the handcrafted tributes SUS-180111-104102001One of the handcrafted tributes SUS-180111-104102001
One of the handcrafted tributes SUS-180111-104102001
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Worthing charity Storm Ministries, which brings people together through creativity and crafting, was central to the project, overseen by councillor Tom Wye.

Residents of all ages came together – 95-year-old Iris Russell from Worthing said she knitted more than 140 poppies for the cause.

“It’s very important,” she said. “My father was a prisoner of war in the First World War so it was nice to be involved. Knitting keeps me going.”

Garden of Remembrance – Worthing Town Hall

Alongside the town hall tribute, a Garden of Remembrance formed of 666 crosses has been planted and officially opened on Monday.

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Each cross bears the name of a soldier from the Worthing War Memorial, with a hand-knitted poppy attached.

Councillor Tom Wye, who has been at the forefront of several memorials across the town, said Remembrance Day is important in remembering all soldiers affected by conflict.

“I spent all my adult life in the Army and this is a time when all soldiers remember mates who didn’t come back,” he said.

“I think it is very important that, even though we are honouring those from the First World War, this Remembrance Sunday is about all soldiers through history.”

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Mr Wye has also spent four years compiling biographies on fallen soldiers who lived in Worthing. The biographies have been collated with individual window displays and delivered to houses where a soldier once lived.

Poppy ‘yarn bomb’ – Maybridge

Over 50 Maybridge knitters have gone all out to show their gratitude with a ‘yarn bomb’ of more than 2,000 poppies.

The idea formed when organiser Becky Davies was confined to her home with breast cancer and set up the U-Knitty Poppy Project.

The group knitted 2,400 poppies in total, used to create an installation in the gardens of Maybridge Community Church, as well as being ‘bombed’ around the community. Becky said: “Lots of creative people and balls of wool later and here we are with a beautiful memorial to help the community mark Remembrance, and a lovely story about how friendship, shared vision, working together and a good few laughs can create something really marvellous.”

Battle’s Over – a Nation’s Tribute – Worthing Seafront

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On Armistice Day, Worthing will be taking part in Battle’s Over, an internationally coordinated commemoration,

It will begin at 6pm with lone pipers playing Battle O’er, a traditional Scottish air played after a battle, after which a specially written tribute will be read out.

Pipers from more than 1,000 communities will be playing the tune at the same time. At 6.55pm, buglers will sound the Last Post at the Millennium Beacon on Worthing Promenade.

At 7pm, the beacon will be lit in a tribute called Beacons of Light, signifying the light of peace that emerged from the darkness of war. At 7.05pm, churches and cathedrals across the world will ring their bells as part of Ringing Out for Peace, joined by town criers, including Worthing’s Bob Smytherman, performing a specially written Cry for Peace Around the World.

Nine white crosses – The Cricketers, Broadwater

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The Cricketers pub in Broadwater Street West, Worthing, has erected nine white crosses next to the village sign, with the details of servicemen from Broadwater who gave their lives in the First World War.

St Andrew’s High School commemorative film

Pupils from St Andrew’s CE High School for Boys will present pieces of artwork and a commemorative film at Worthing railway station as part of The First World War Centenary Silhouettes project.

Sponsored by Southern Rail, the project aims to gather as many soldier silhouettes as possible at railway stations across the south of England.

The GCSE photography students have produced digitally manipulated images using a combination of images from the First World War, trench and frontline maps, images of Worthing past and present and other relevant war time photographs.

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The GCSE music and drama students have been composing an audio track consisting of war poems recorded over music composed by the GCSE music students. St Andrew’s will hold a short service at Worthing Railway Station on Friday, where the film and artwork will be revealed.

Handmade poppies - North Lancing Primary School

Pupils at North Lancing Primary School have created a fitting display of handmade poppies from over 1,000 plastic bottles. After being cut and painted red by the pupils, black buttons were attached to complete the makeshift flowers.

Worthing Museum centenary exhibition

Worthing Museum’s WW1 Centenary: 100 Years exhibition will launch on Saturday, showing how soldiers and civilians from Worthing were affected by the war. Archaeologist James Sainsbury said the exhibition will tell the stories of the Home Front, the Royal Sussex Regiment’s experiences on the front line and training at Shoreham Army Camp.

The exhibition will run from Saturday until Spring, 2019, and will be free to enter.

Chatsmore High School’s award-nominated tribute

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Chatsmore High School is one of four schools in the UK nominated for the Outstanding Contribution to the Centenary Remembrance Awards for its Legacy 110 project.

Pupils from Chatsmore researched and produced artwork to commemorate the almost 100 year old link between Worthing and Richebourg in France.

Two stained glass windows were created, in collaboration with two schools from Richebourg – one to be displayed on Worthing Pier and one to be displayed in Richebourg.

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