Eastbourne to Mark Armistice Day with Services of Remembrance
15th October 2024
Eastbourne will pause to remember those who lost their lives in wartime conflict, and those who continue to serve, during a series of Remembrance events next month.
The town’s annual Service of Remembrance will take place on Sunday 10 November at the War Memorial, traditionally attended by hundreds of residents and visitors.
Beginning with a parade at 10.25am from Terminus Road precinct, representatives from the military, ex-service personnel, emergency services and other organisations will lead the procession along Cornfield Road to the War Memorial.
The parade will then be joined by civic dignitaries including the Mayor of Eastbourne, who will lead a parade from the Town Hall to the War Memorial.
A thanksgiving service conducted by SCC Chaplain Reverend Danny Pegg RNR will be accompanied by musicians from the Eastbourne Citadel Salvation Army Band and the Scottish Pipe Band. The service will include a two minutes’ silence at 11am and the official wreath laying.
The commemoration event concludes with the continuation of the parade by ex-military personnel past the War Memorial via South Street. To facilitate the event a number of road closures will be put in place between 10am and 1pm.
Mayor of Eastbourne, Councillor Candy Vaughan said, “The Service of Remembrance is our chance to honour the service and sacrifice of all those that have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life.
“The service is always well supported by the community, as we come together to remember the Armed Forces and their families, and the vital role played by the emergency services, all of whom have given so much for so many.”
Other Remembrance Services
The annual Concert of Remembrance with Eastbourne Silver Band will take place at Our Lady of Ransom Church in Grange Road on Sunday 3 November at 2.30pm.
On Sunday 10 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 Deputy Mayor of Eastbourne, the service begins at 3pm, meeting at Butts Brow car park at 2.45pm.
On Remembrance Day – Monday 11 November – there will be a service at 10.45am 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 the Visitor Centre on 01323 415415.