THE CENTENARY of the outbreak of the First World War was fittingly commemorated in Rugby this week.
On Tuesday, around 650 residents ‘enlisted’ at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum before joining a parade, led by mounted cavalry and the Royal Signals (Northern Band), through the town centre to Caldecott Park.
A service of remembrance was led by the Reverend Imogen Nay, Rector of St Andrew’s Church, and included a reading of Wilfred Owen’s Anthem for Doomed Youth by MP Mark Pawsey, and a reading of Rupert Brooke’s The Soldier by the leader of Rugby Borough Council, Coun Craig Humphrey. Hymns included Jerusalem and Abide With Me, and the National Anthem was sung.
The Last Post was sounded to signal the start of a two minute silence, which ended with hundreds of poppies cascading from the sky.
After the service, residents mingled with military re-enactment groups and their military vehicles in the park.
Monday night’s commemorations took on a more reflective tone, as people across the country turned out their lights from 10 pm-11pm and left a single candle burning – marking the declaration of war which took place at 11pm on 4 August 1914.
See more pictures in this week’s Rugby Observer.
The Mayor of Rugby, Coun Ramesh Srivastava, at the Lights Out ceremony at the Webb Ellis Statue.
A single lantern was placed on the War Memorial gates at Whitehall Recreation Ground during the Lights Out ceremony.
The Mayor helped to ‘enlist’ residents before the parade.
