Chelsea Pensioners mark Armistice Day
11th November 2014
Chelsea Pensioners have marked Armistice Day at services and events across the country, including at the Tower of London.
World War II veteran Chelsea Pensioner John Humphreys OBE DL accompanied cadet Harry Hayes as he planted the final poppy at the Tower of London’s art installation, which represents the 888,246 British and Commonwealth soldiers who died during the First World War.
John represented retired service personnel at the service, he said: “When I look at the poppies they remind me of the Oosterbeek war cemetery, with its rows and rows of headstones.
“They also make me think of the all the friends I lost at Arnhem, and how if it wasn’t for the Grace of God and a lousy machine gunner, I might not have been here today.”
A solemn Drumhead Service was held at the Royal Hospital Chelsea today, where Pensioners and staff observed the two minute silence at 11am.
Pensioners have also been attending Remembrance events throughout the month leading up to Armistice Day, including at the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance and the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.
The Pensioners living in the Margaret Thatcher Infirmary, our care home with nursing, also took part in their own project to mark the centenary of the First World War by creating their own ceramic towers of remembrance.
