THE air raid siren rang out across Wrexham as a poignant reminder of the sacrifice made by service men and women when losing their lives in World War One.
Hundreds attended the Armistice Day ceremony in Queen’s Square where Wrexham Mayor Cllr Rob Walsh addressed the crowds flanked by war veterans and local army cadets and service troops.
A two-minute silence was impeccably observed at 11am and was followed by the blast of the siren to mark the ending of World War One.
The siren, which could be heard over a three mile radius of the town, is still located in its original war-time location at Wrexham Museum.
Armistice Day in Wrexham
Standard bearer Veteran Tony Owens, 80, says attendance at Armistice from veterans of the Wrexham branch of the Royal Welch Fusiliers is rising.
The Royal Welch branch chairman said: “We love doing this to keep the memory going and we’ve got to see that it does keep going as well. I had an uncle who was killed out in Caen and I go out to visit the memorial there.
“We’ve had a great turnout today and our branch is doing very well for numbers – we have around 60 members in the veterans’ section.”
Mr Owens recalled: “I was a national service man who went into the Royal Welch in 1960. Luckily, I didn’t see any armed conflict, but I went to places like Libya, Canada and Germany and built some great friendships that have lasted.”
Tony Owens of the veterans' branch of the Royal Welch Fusiliers
Flight Commander Emma Povey and Flight Sgt. Tony Rutter led a troop of cadets from 227-9 (Wrexham).
Mr Owens said: “We had 28 cadets out on Sunday for the service, but we’ve also had a good turn out today as well. We try and teach the young cadets how important Armistice Day is.
“It is about remembrance for the fallen and they do it with pride and get a sense of what it is about. The standard of the cadets is really good and coming here helps them to see how it all fits into the history books.”
Wrexham Council Chief Executive Ian Bancroft attended the civic event.
Today’s ceremony followed Sunday’s larger gathering for a service of remembrance at Bodhyfryd.
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