Wales pauses in quiet reflection on Remembrance Sunday

Veterans, politicians and dignitaries gathered at the National Service of Remembrance in Cardiff on Sunday. Credit: ITV Wales

People across Wales have marked Remembrance Sunday, when the UK honours those who have served in the armed forces.

Veterans were joined by politicians, including First Minister Mark Drakeford, for the National Service of Remembrance at Cathays Park in Cardiff, whilst there were services held across the nation.

Wreaths were laid at the Welsh National War Memorial on a day of reflection.

Beforehand, servicemen and women currently in the armed forces and Merchant Navy marched past Cardiff City Hall.

Current servicemen and women and veterans alike attended the National Service of Remembrance on Sunday. Credit: ITV Wales

Wales held two minutes' silence at 11 o'clock.

Paying tribute on behalf of the nation, Mark Drakeford said: "People's thoughts are concentrated on lives that were lost in the past but inevitably this year, are focused on lives that are being lost today in wars that continue around the world."

Talking about the direct impact of conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East on people in Wales, the first minister added: "We have thousands of people living in Wales who've come from Ukraine, where there is fighting going on today.

"And the events in the Middle East touch, directly, lives of people who live in Wales. Members of our Jewish community, members of our Muslim community, people who have friends and family directly caught up in that warfare."


  • Mark Drakeford said current conflicts impact people in Wales


Talking about the Senedd backing calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip earlier this week, he said: "The Senedd was united in calling for peace, in calling for an end to the fighting. How we get there is difficult and complicated and people can have different views but the need to bring an end to fighting was something that united us across the Senedd."

For others, it was about remembering friends, family and comrades who made the ultimate sacrifice. 

One veteran who wanted to honour his father and other family members who had served in the armed forces was David Hughes from the Western Front Association. He said: "My father, who was a merchant seaman, served the Atlantic convoys and the Arctic convoy, and he was present at the Normandy landings too. He survived the war but I'm here in remembrance of my family members that have given service to this country."


  • "I'm here in remembrance of family members that have given service"


Pat Evans, also from the Western Front Association, has attended the service every year since she was a child. She said: "I now come in memory of my late husband's two uncles, one of whom was killed during the war [World War 1] and the other one who died as a result of the war."

She added: "We remember them all through the year, it's not just on Remembrance Day. We all pay tribute frequently to the men of the First World War."

The younger generation was also in attendance. Beth Hughes brought her three-year-old son Gabriel to the service.

Talking to ITV Wales, she said: "It's just important to instil those values. Our little boy loves the marching soldiers so there's an element of that, but it's important to appreciate everything that everyone's done for us."

She added: "He's three so I think it's important he understands the things that people have done for us and sacrifices they've made and our history."


  • Beth Hughes wants her son to have an appreciation of sacrifices by the armed forces


There are many towns across Wales with a strong link to the armed forces, including Rhyl.

As is the case every year, the community there turned out to remember those it has lost.

Elsewhere, the Aberystwyth War Memorial was lit up in red.

The lighting of Aberystwyth War Memorial was funded by a veteran. Credit: Scott Waby

A war veteran used his own money to install lights and a PA system.

However, today the focus was on quiet pause and reflection.


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