Haslemere was out in force on Sunday to commemorate the fallen in the centenary year of the end of The Great War.
It was the culmination of a tremendous effort by the town to ensure the utmost was done to honour its men and women who gave their lives in WWI.
In April, Haslemere’s Great War Centenary Project saw two ‘rivers’ of handmade poppies pinned to St Christopher’s Church tower, and continued with a field of real poppies at the church and a spectacular commemorative flower festival at St Stephen’s, in September.
Working in partnership, the town council commissioned more than 100 wreaths to commemorate each WWI soldier named on war memorials in Haslemere, Hindhead, Shottermill, Camelsdale and Grayswood, and councillors delivered them to the homes they had once lived in to be displayed with pride.
Residents now living in those homes attended services, together with family members to lay their wreaths at the appropriate war memorials on Remembrance Sunday.
Mayor David Round said: “Hundreds attended the services at churches in Haslemere as many people laid wreaths to honour and remember the fallen.
“All war memorials were refurbished by the town council with grateful thanks for donations, in this special 100th anniversary year. It was a great honour to lay personalised wreaths.
“In the centre of Haslemere, 1,000 gathered around the war memorial. And what a moving experience it was.
“Absolute silence – not a murmur was heard. There are so many people who made the event a success.
“Many organisations, professional and volunteers, worked together and we are proud of all of them.
“The memorial says ‘We died for England. See that you live for her’. We will. And we will never forget.”