London will host a series of Remembrance events this weekend as communities across the capital pay tribute to members of the Armed Forces who have lost their lives in conflict.
Remembrance Sunday falls on November 8 this year, with the annual National Service of Remembrance taking place at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. The ceremony will bring together members of the Royal Family, politicians, veterans and serving military personnel, with wreaths laid at the memorial and a two-minute silence observed at 11am.
Alongside the main national commemoration, there will be services, parades and wreath-laying ceremonies across London, as well as the Royal British Legion's annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.
Friday, November 6
Lloyd's of London was holding its annual Act of Remembrance at its headquarters in Lime Street in the City. The ceremony was due to take place from 10.40am to 11.05am, including a choir, wreath-laying, the Last Post and a two-minute silence.
Royal Greenwich will host a series of local commemorations, beginning at Shooters Hill Memorial Hospital at 2pm. A further wreath-laying ceremony will take place at Greenwich Cemetery at 2.45pm, giving residents an opportunity to pay their respects ahead of Remembrance Sunday.
Saturday, November 7
The Royal British Legion's annual Festival of Remembrance will return to the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday. The event, which will feature music and performances in tribute to the Armed Forces and those who have served and sacrificed, will take place across two performances at 2pm and 7pm. The evening performance will also be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm.
A series of remembrance ceremonies will take place across Blackheath and Charlton, beginning at Maze Hill War Memorial at 11am. Further commemorations will follow at St John's Church, Charlton Village War Memorial and Cemetery Lane. Residents will also be able to attend a remembrance ceremony at Thamesmead Clocktower, with attendees asked to arrive at 10.45am ahead of the ceremony, which is due to begin at 10.55am. Further wreath-laying events will take place at Plumstead Cemetery at noon and Woolwich New Cemetery at 12.30pm.
Sunday, November 8 – Remembrance Sunday
The main national commemoration will take place at the Cenotaph in Whitehall on Sunday morning. Proceedings are expected to begin at around 10.30am, ahead of the two-minute silence at 11am. Members of the Royal Family, senior politicians, veterans and serving Armed Forces personnel will gather for the annual service, during which wreaths will be laid at the memorial. The ceremony will conclude with a march past involving veterans and representatives of military organisations.
The event is free to attend, with public viewing areas opening at 8am. Spectators are advised to arrive early as space is limited.
The RAF Museum in Hendon will hold its own Remembrance Sunday service, beginning at 11am. The free event will include readings, prayers and a performance from the North London Military Wives Choir, with visitors also observing the two-minute silence. Visitors are advised to arrive by 10.45am, with seating allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
For those wishing to attend a different kind of commemoration, the Peace Pledge Union will hold its annual Alternative Remembrance Ceremony in Tavistock Square, Bloomsbury. Taking place from noon until 1pm, the event will remember victims of war, including civilians and military personnel. The ceremony will feature speeches, a two-minute silence and the laying of white poppy wreaths at the Conscientious Objectors' Commemorative Stone. The event is free and open to the public, with no booking required.
Southwark will host a number of local commemorations, including a service at St Saviour's War Memorial on Borough High Street at 10.50am, and a further service at West Lane War Memorial in SE16 at 10.45am.
Local parades and services across London
A number of other boroughs will also hold their own services and parades on Sunday. In Eltham, a parade will take place at the War Memorial on Eltham High Street from 10.40am, involving veterans, ex-service groups and youth organisations. Lewisham will host commemorations at its War Memorial from 10.55am, with a further service taking place at Deptford War Memorial.
In Newham, a parade will leave the Town Hall at 10.30am before the main service at East Ham Cenotaph in Central Park at 10.55am. Islington will also host ceremonies at Islington Green, Spa Green and Royal Northern Gardens, while Redbridge will hold services at Ilford, Hainault and Wanstead war memorials.
The former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will deliver the Movement for the Abolition of War's annual Remembrance lecture on Sunday afternoon. The event will take place at Hamilton House in Bloomsbury at 3pm. Titled The Changing Face of War – Thoughts on the Erosion of Ethics, the lecture will explore the changing nature of conflict and the ethics surrounding warfare. Booking is available through Eventbrite.
