ORGANISERS of this year’s Remembrance Sunday Parade in Ledbury, on November 12, an annual event which usually sees hundreds of people gathering in the town, say this year’s parade will be even more impressive than usual.

Parade marshal Len Huff, who is a retired Royal Marines captain said: “There are yet more initiatives aimed at raising the bar. With ideas from myself and Lloyd Meredith, President of Ledbury’s Royal British Legion, and all supported by the Ledbury Town Council Remembrance Parade Committee, the Remembrance Parade on Sunday is destined to be the best yet.

“In recent years, there has been a virtual ‘new look’ to many aspects of this very special occasion, thought by many to be the most important outdoor event in the Town’s calendar. Two years ago a saluting dais was introduced, which added much to the status of the parade and has allowed the Lord Lieutenant, or whatever Deputy might have been appointed in her stead, to see and be seen by everybody on parade.”

Mr Huff added: “The presence of the Ledbury Town Brass Band has been a wonderful addition to the parade’s level of professionalism and the band now has a bass drum that makes marching for the young and the not-so-young much simpler – just listen to the beat of the drum and you will always be in step. And although not everybody will be aware of it, the music’s tempo is slowed a little for the benefit of the not-so-young.

“But apart from an ever-increasing number of ladies and gentlemen on the parade, civilians and former members of the armed forces alike, along with possibly hundreds of youngsters from a multitude of the town’s schools, teams, groups and clubs, all gathered in long, straight lines the length and breadth of the High Street, a most wonderful feature of the parade each year, is surely the simply huge number of spectators from the town and, it is thought, from neighbouring towns and villages.”

Mr Huff said: “Their applause as the legionnaires as well as the youngsters march past is always especially touching; aomewhat humbling, too. I see backs straighten and heads lift whenever that applause begins.

“That great stalwart of so many of the Town’s Remembrance Parades, Wing Commander Don Rule MBE RAF will recite the moving, ‘Kohimah Epitaph,’ (When you go home…) whilst ‘The Exhoration’ (They shall grow not old…) will be read by Colour Sergeant Ben Dean, I/C Ledbury Army Cadet Detachment - and all the many hundreds assembled will surely welcome the newly arrived Chaplain to the Royal British Legion, Ledbury Branch, the Rev Bill MacKenzie, a former officer with The Gurkha Regiment in Nepal, Malaya, Borneo and Brunei.”

Three members of the extended crew of HMS Ledbury will be attending the parade, including leading Seaman Peter Dodd, a Mine Warfare specialist; A/B Ryan Teal, a Ships’ Diver and ET Kieron Smith, a Weapons Engineer.

Mr Huff said: “They are very welcome and their presence will help keep that wonderful, hugely cherished bond between town and ship very much alive.

“A further and welcome addition to the participants on Sunday’s Parade will be a Detachment of the Ross-on-Wye Territorial Reserves. They, too, will be very welcome.

The County’s Lord Lieutenant will be represented by her Deputy Lieutenant (DL) Mrs Helen Thomas. Able Cadet Ivor Kilby has been appointed as Aide to Mrs Thomas.

Herefordshire Council will be represented by Ward Councillor Andrew Warmington.”

It is surely going to be another memorable Remembrance Parade and, yes, “We will remember them.”

The parade will start at 10.45pm, followed by an Act of Remembrance at the War Memorial, and a service at St Michael and All Angels Church.

A service for the Much Marcle area will take place at Yarkhill Church from 10.45am, this Sunday.

The service at Bosbury will begin at the village’s war memorial, from 10.30am.

The service at St Mary’s Church, Dymock, will start at 10.15am.

The service at St Mary’s Church, Newent, will begin at 10am.