Huge Crowd Gathers to Honour the Fallen at Sittingbourne Cenotaph

The day began with a short service at St Michael’s Church, led by Royal British Legion chaplain Pat Tatchell. In attendance were the King’s representative, Deputy Lieutenant of Kent Richard Oldfield OBE, the Mayor of Swale Councillor Karen Watson, Chief Executive of Swale Borough Council Larissa Reed and Kevin McKenna MP.

Following the church service, a parade made its way from St Michael’s and along the High Street before turning into Central Avenue and assembling at the Sittingbourne Cenotaph.




There was a huge crowd gathered around the Cenotaph awaiting the arrival of the parade, so much so that it made moving round to get the photos quite a challenge and there were a few photos I never managed to get including one of the aforementioned crowd.

 

The service at the memorial commenced with a reading from Pat Tatchell. The Exhortation was then given by the Mayor of Swale, Cllr Karen Watson, leading into the Last Post and the two-minute silence. Hymns, prayers, the National Anthem, and a final blessing brought the service to a close, after which wreaths were laid at the Memorial.

 

The event concluded with a formal march-past of the Deputy Lieutenant of Kent, involving Veterans, Cadets, and members of the Scouting and Guiding Associations.

 

There are a large number of photos on our facebook page from the event.