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Armistice Day: Pandemic does not stop Bedworth's tribute

BBC Remembering old comrades in Bedworth on WednesdayBBC
Remembering old comrades in Bedworth at an Armistice Day service on Wednesday

Armistice Day celebrations have been held in a town which has marked the occasion for almost 100 years - but this year things were a little different.

Bedworth in Warwickshire has marked November 11th every year since 1921 - the only town in the UK to do so.

The coronavirus outbreak forced parade organisers to cancel the event.

The town still paid tribute, but with a small service streamed online instead of the usual 5,000 people taking part in the parade.

Organiser Ken Whitehead, chairman of Bedworth Armistice Parade Group, said taking the decision to cancel had been "heartbreaking".

War veterans were joined by civic leaders and emergency services officers in Bedworth
War veterans were joined by civic leaders and emergency services officers in Bedworth
Medals and masks were on show
Medals and masks were the order of the day for many people attending the Bedworth service

"I was hell bent on keeping this tradition alive in Bedworth," he said.

He and his colleagues are incredibly proud of the tradition the town has and determined to keep it going so it could reach 100 years in 2021 without having to take a break.

He said the red tape had been horrific but added: "This is what we do in Bedworth. All of us will never forget, through Covid or anything."

Vice chairman Phil Godden and chairman Ken Whitehouse
Bedworth Armistice Parade Group vice chairman Phil Godden, left, and chairman Ken Whitehead formed the campaign to create this wall two years ago. It reads: Bedworth, the town that never forgets.
The entrance to Miners Welfare Park
The entrance to Miners Welfare Park also remembers the sacrifice of people from Bedworth who died while fighting for their country
Former soldiers stood on parade again at Bedworth War Memorial
Former soldiers stood on parade again at Bedworth War Memorial
Warwickshire Police officers
Officers from Warwickshire Police and crews from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue attended the service
Parade chairman Ken Whitehouse was joined by Rev Dave Poultney, rector of All Saints, Bedworth
Parade chairman Ken Whitehead was joined by Rev Dave Poultney, rector of All Saints, Bedworth
Tiger Moth flies over Bedworth
A Tiger Moth plan dropped poppies at five locations around Bedworth during the service
Civic leaders took part in the Bedworth Armistice Day ceremony
Civic leaders took part in the Bedworth Armistice Day ceremony
A lone piper
A lone piper lead the old soldiers from All Saints Church to the nearby war memorial
Old soldiers remember comrades
As light rain fell, old soldiers took turns to remember their former comrades during a wreath laying ceremony
Around Bedworth tributes to The Fallen hang in windows
Around Bedworth tributes to the fallen hang in windows
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