THE Glorious Dead, not to mention those who have died serving Britain in contemporary wars, will once again be commemorated in North Weald on Sunday, 94 years to the day since the guns fell silent on the Western Front.
This year, Remembrance Sunday will be marked by four events in the village, starting with the Royal British Legion's Act of Remembrance at the parish war memorial in St Andrew's Churchyard at 10.45am.
A bugler will play the Last Post, following which a special service will be held inside the church. Then at 12.15pm, the parish council will lay a wreath at North Weald's airfield memorial in Hurricane Way.
This ceremony will then be followed at 1.15pm by a ticket-only Community Remembrance Day Luncheon for 65 people at the village hall in the High Road.
The lunch will be hosted by Cyril Hawkins, the chairman of North Weald Bassett Parish Council, and, with a nod to the contribution that Norwegian servicemen made at the airfield during the Second World War, Navy Commander Senior Grade Hanne Johnsloev will be in attendance representing the Norwegian defence attache.
Mr Hawkins told the Gazette he hoped that between 200 and 300 people would attend Sunday's services.
He added: "It isn't only the soldiers who died.
"There was the Blitz and people in North Weald who got killed too, so I think it is very important that we keep all of their memories alive."
Peter Collins, the chairman of the North Weald branch of the Royal British Legion, said: "People should come along to continue the Remembrance not only of those who died in the First and Second World Wars, but also those who have died in modern conflicts."
North Weald's MP Eric Pickles is not able to attend Sunday's ceremony as he will be marking Remembrance Day at the Cenotaph in Whitehall in his capacity as a government minister.
However, he said: "North Weald has got some tremendous history with the Battle of Britain and indeed the fate of our nation was decided in the skies over the airfield so I hope as many people as possible will be able to attend."
Meanwhile, Tory councillor Anne Grigg, who will be representing Epping Forest District Council on Sunday, said: "I understand that not everybody will be able to attend but the service will be moving and it shows our respect for and our pride in those who fought for this country and lost their lives."
