It was my honour to be asked to conduct the Armistice Day remembrance ceremony in Clare at 1100hrs today. Thank you to all of you who came along to share this special time and to give your support. Special thanks to Elaine Martin who organises everything and keeps me in order!

What I said I transcribe below to share with as many people as possible:

“Friends, we are gathered here, on Armistice day, to remember those who have given everything to give us the freedoms we enjoy today. We must not take those freedoms for granted.

At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month – we will remember them.

The Armistice, an agreement to end the fighting of the First World War as a prelude to peace negotiations, began at 11am on 11 November 1918.

To this day we mark Armistice Day around the United Kingdom with a Two Minute Silence the start of which I will signal with a whistle

The Exhortation is recited:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Blow whistle

The Two Minute Silence is observed.

The Kohima Epitaph is recited:

When you go home, tell them of us and say,

For your tomorrow, we gave our today.

Thank you all for sharing this time together.”