On a grey and dreary Remembrance Sunday morning in Thornton-Cleveleys, members from Fleetwood, Poulton, Blackpool, Kirkham and other brethren from across the Fylde Coast congregated to pay their respects to the fallen, at the customary Remembrance Day parades.
At Thornton-Cleveleys the brethren were joined by the Provincial Grand Master Mark Matthews, Third Provincial Grand principal David Barr, Assistant to the Provincial Grand Principal John Robbie Porter and the North Fylde Group Chairman John Cross. Other brethren then joined the principal officers, adorned in their regalia, in the procession to the cenotaph, along with a great number of other organisations.
Amongst the other organisations included the very immaculately turned-out Cadet Forces. It was rather humbling seeing the number of people that had turned out for the ceremony. After prayers and the rendition of the Last Post, the wreaths were laid by Derek Broadbent on behalf of the North Fylde Group and Russell Forsyth and other brethren laid wreaths on behalf of other Masonic Orders.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the brethren congregated for a commemorative picture of the day. Following on from that, some of the brethren, along with veterans, adjourned to the Park Club in Cleveleys, home of Cleveleys Masonic Hall, where veterans were offered a free hot pot and a pint of beer, in honour of their service.
Elsewhere members of the Fylde Light Blues Club assisted in the laying of the wreath at the Blackpool cenotaph in the company of the Blackpool Group Chairman Steve Jelly and Fylde Groups Regional Charity Steward Bob Marsden.
Martin Poole, a member of Royal Oak Lodge No 5919, laid the wreath at Fleetwood Cenotaph on behalf of the Royal Air Force. In St Annes, Fylde light blue, Leon Teal, was amongst the brethren in the parade at the Cenotaph in Ashton Gardens.
