THE moving sounds of The Last Post rang out in St Laurence Church at 11am on Sunday as Ludlow gathered to remember its war dead. At the same time, the communities of South Shropshire fell silent as they joined the rest of the country in two minutes silence.

Ludlow's commemoration continued its tradition of dignity and solemnity. At 10.20am the Common Sergeant Graham Davies led Mayor Graeme Kidd to inspect the assembled Royal British Legion parade in Castle Square.

Ten minutes later, under a dull grey sky, the parade marched proudly to the church and entered. It was followed by a civic procession, led by mace bearer Sharon Grainger and police inspector John Peyton, and by the Mayor's own procession.

After the service, the two processions and the official parade left for the town's War Memorial for the laying of a wreath. The ceremonies ended with the parade marching past the Mayor.

The Church Stretton branch of the Royal British Legion marched from the town's social club to St Laurence Parish Church. This year there was special commemoration of those who died in the recent war in Iraq and of the 60th anniversary of the convoy battle in the Atlantic in 1943.

During the service, there was silence as Tom and Sean Goodwin read out the names of the town's war dead. This was followed by a procession to the war memorial in Longhills Road for the laying of wreaths.

A further commemoration was planned for Tuesday at the Church Stretton war memorial with a two minutes silence at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

l Tenbury remembers: P13