ECCLES REMEMBERS - FANTASTIC TURNOUT AT THIS YEARS REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY PARADE

A estimated crowd of over 500 people gathered at Eccles Cenotaph today, to pay their respects to our fallen heroes.

The emotional sound of a lone bagpipe set the tone for the proceedings as the Goodshaw brass band led the way into the cordoned off area, followed by veterans, scouts, guides and numerous other associations.

The service was led by Rev Ross Garner from, Churches Together In Eccles, who spoke eloquently throughout the service, and mentioned a local family from Eccles and four brothers who had gone to fight in the Great War, one of them Joseph was to die in combat, another from Spanish Influenza shortly after the war.

Standard bearers from the Merchant, Navy and The British Legion raised and lowered their colours as the Last Post was blown.

Events organiser and Parade Marshall Graham Walker read the poem, For the Fallen, by Laurence Binyon with the immortal lines, "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. ... We will remember them"

Wreaths were then laid by, Salford Council, Greater Manchester Police, Merchant Navy Association, Rotary Club, Morrisons Store, Army Cadets, The Buffs, British Legion, Women's Institute. The Buffs, Eccles Parish Church.

Rev Garner then told of the follies of war and how the names of 240 local men are remembered in a plaque in Eccles Parish Church, and a reminder that conflicts are still raging in Yemen and the Sudan amongst other places, worldwide.

He then read out the Siegfried Sassoon poem, Aftermath, a beautiful poem which urges people not to forget the horrors of war.

This was followed by a reading of the Lords Payer and The National Anthem.

The people gathered then laid their individual wreaths and poppies for loved, lost ones, i was intrigued to see a young man, Graeme McCaig lay out his Grandfathers WW! medals and take a photo, his name was George McCaig who had served in the Ist Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, and Graeme had to carried on the family tradition by serving in the armed forces.

As the crowd made their way home I was impressed by a cavalcade of motor bike riders, some flying the Union flag on the bikes who roared past the Cenotaph to a standing applause, a nice touch.

Finally congratulations to everybody who turned up, certainly the most I have ever seen in all my years of attending, and a special mention for Graham Walker who made it run with military precision.