Isle of Man falls silent to remember war dead

A crowd gathered to hold a two-minute silence at the war memorial in Douglas

The Isle of Man fell silent on Armistice Day to remember those who lost their lives in military conflicts.

Tributes were paid at a commemoration by the war memorial in Douglas where a poppy wreath was laid by the island's Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer.

Gulf War veteran Charlie Brown said it was a "solemn occasion" as he joined fellow RAF servicemen at the ceremony.

He laid a cross in memory of Manx pilot Keith Collister who died in training shortly before the conflict.

Ian Tomlinson served as an engineer in the British Army's Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in conflicts in the Middle East and the Falklands.

He moved to the island this year and said he found the Manx eulogy given at the ceremony "very interesting".

Ian Tomlinson was an engineer in the British Army

He added: "I think about how uncomfortable it is to stand in the wind and the rain sometimes, standing to attention, and I reflect on how small a sacrifice that is for those that we are remembering.

"War is hell and everybody suffers so I think it is important that we do remember that."

Manxman Nick Brough, who served in the Royal Navy for 14 years, said the name of his uncle Tommy Duggan, who was killed on the Mona's Queen in Dunkirk when it hit a mine, was inscribed on the war memorial.

"I think about them and all the mariners and all the people who have died in conflicts," he said.

Nick Brough served in the Royal Navy for 14 years