Southampton City Council announces plan to mark Remembrance 2021
Southampton City Council has announced plans to mark Remembrance this November
Remembrance Parade and Service
On Sunday 14 November 2021 the Remembrance Parade and Service with members of the armed forces community will return - unfortunately this could not take place last year due to COVID-19 restrictions. The parade will start at 10.30am at Guildhall Square and will conclude with a Remembrance Service at The Cenotaph in Watts Park shortly before 11am.
Attendees to this event are recommended to have been double vaccinated or have completed a negative lateral flow test (no more than 48 hours before attending) and to practice social distancing from other attendees. We encourage residents not to attend if they are showing any of the COVID symptoms, a list of the symptoms can be found on the NHS website.
Remembrance Parade and Service Road Closures
The following road closures will be in place on Sunday 14 November from 7am until 2pm for the Remembrance Parade and Service:
- Above Bar Street - from New Road to Cumberland Place
- Commercial Road - from Havelock Road to Above Bar Street
- West Marlands Road - its entire length
- Gibbs Road - its entire length
Southampton Online Remembrance Ceremony
For residents unable to attend the Remembrance Parade and Service, a highlight video will be shared across our social media channels on the afternoon of Sunday 14 November.
Southampton Stories
Follow ‘Southampton Stories’ on Twitter and Facebook throughout November for various First World War stories from the city’s museums and archive collections.
Find your local War Memorial
Residents are encouraged to visit the war memorials in Southampton, which includes the plaque at Town Quay Park, a tree at Mayflower Park to commemorate The Falklands, the Burma Memorial at Grosvenor Square, The Cenotaph in Watts Park, a memorial at Hollybrook Cemetery as well as various memorial benches across the city. You can download a map of the memorials on the Visit Southampton website.
Share your photos with us and pay your respects at the memorials on social media using the hashtags #NeverForgotten and #SouthamptonRemembers.
City Poppy Decoration
Lamp posts around The Cenotaph will be decorated with poppies and we are encouraging local households and businesses to make their own remembrance poppies to display in windows.
Find out from our Cultural Services’ Museum Learning team how to create your very own remembrance poppy:
Hang your poppy in your window to show your support for the armed forces community, and make sure you share your pictures with us and on social media using the hashtags #NeverForgotten and #SouthamptonRemembers, so we can share them with our social media followers.
Guildhall Illuminations
The Southampton O2 Guildhall will be illuminated red on Remembrance Sunday 14 November.
Councillor Spiros Vassiliou, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture & Heritage said:
“This year is particularly poignant as we mark 100 years of the Royal British Legion and we look forward to our renowned Remembrance Ceremony and Parade returning to the city to pay our respects. Our city played an invaluable role in the country’s war efforts, and it is crucial that we continue to honour the sacrifices that our armed forces and civilians made for us.”
Archie Parsons, from Southampton Royal British Legion, said:
“This year marks one hundred years of the Royal British Legion. The past continues to have a great impact on the people of Southampton and, on Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day, we reflect and give thanks to all those that played their part in bringing peace and those who helped to re-build our great city to what it is today. We shall be forever thankful to them.”
In 2020, Southampton City Council was announced amongst the most supportive organisations for Britain’s Armed Forces, by receiving The Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award, the highest award achievable for an organisation.
More information can be found on the Visit Southampton website.
