The Mayor, Councillor Zoe Price, and the civic party processed to Glastonbury’s war memorial, which records the names of 93 men who died in the First World War. A further plaque bearing 21 names was added after the Second World War. The Revd Alice Watson, Vicar of Glastonbury, led the service. Pupils from St Ben’s laid a wreath while one pupil read a short dedication to the fallen.
On Remembrance Sunday, 8 November, a full civic procession and service were held. Members of the Royal British Legion, Armed Forces personnel, cadets, local Scout groups, school representatives and residents joined the civic party.
A substantial crowd gathered at the memorial. The Last Post was sounded and a two-minute silence was observed before wreaths were laid. The civic party then processed into St John’s Church, where the Town Remembrance Service followed. The Books of Remembrance, standards and civic maces were carried to the high altar. The Mayor read John McCrae’s In Flanders Fields, and the church choir sang Richard Farrant’s Call to Remembrance. The service also included prayers for peace and reconciliation.
Following the church service, the names of Glastonbury’s war dead were read aloud at the Town Hall as part of the day’s commemorations, an act that occurs annually in special remembrance of those Glastonbury men who gave their lives.
Armistice Day marks the anniversary of the agreement between the Allies and Germany that ended fighting on the Western Front. The agreement was signed in a railway carriage at Compiègne, France, on 11 November 1918 and took effect at 11am. Britain first observed the two-minute silence a year later, at the request of King George V.
We remember all those who lost their lives in war, both service personnel and civilians, and those who continue to live with the effects of conflict. We reaffirm our commitment to reconciliation and to working for a lasting peace.
Glastonbury Town Council would like to thank all those involved in the organisation and running of both ceremonies.
