Music and air raid siren mark Armistice Day in Wales

  • Published

Wales has marked Armistice Day with a range of services to pay tribute to the fallen in conflicts from World War I to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Welsh assembly Presiding Officer Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM led a two-minute silence with members of the Royal British Legion at the Senedd.

Ceremonies were held across Wales at 1100GMT, including Newport, Pontypool, Barry and Swansea.

In Wrexham, a wartime air raid siren was sounded.

This year's Armistice Day also sees the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

At Cardiff Bay, Lord Elis-Thomas was joined by the Tim O'Sullivan MBE, vice president of the Royal British Legion Vale of Glamorgan County.

At Cardiff City Hall, council leader Rodney Berman led a laying of wreaths as a tribute to all council staff who lost their lives in battle.

In Swansea, hundreds of people gathered in Castle Square which fell into total silence at 1100 BST.

For the second year running there was a live link up with Trafalgar Square in London.

Image caption,

In Wrexham, a bugler sounded the Last Post before an air raid siren sounded.

The two minutes' silence was preceded and followed by a series of musical performances and readings including songs from the Swansea-based male voice choir the Gwalia Singers, BBC One's I'd Do Anything finalist Sarah Lark and Carrie's War theatre star Brigit Forsyth.

Many people then cast British Legion appeal poppies in the square's fountain as part of their tribute.

About 100 people gathered in Owain Glyndwr Square in Aberystwyth as the town centre came to a standstill at 1100 GMT.

Wrexham's Armistice Day ceremony was held outside the Old Library in Queen's Square in Wrexham town centre.

A bugler sounded the Last Post before an air raid siren was sounded to mark the start of the two-minute silence.

In Barry, in the Vale of Glamorgan, a short service took place on the Civic Office forecourt in front of the Merchant Seamen Memorial.

Malpas Church in Wales Junior School choir sang at the service at Kingsway Shopping Centre in Newport.

A ceremony was also held in Pontypool in Torfaen at Pontypool Park memorial gates.

In Swansea, pupils at Morriston Primary School pupils were able to try meals made to wartime recipes, such as baked carrot and onion pie and fruit semolina.

Around the BBC