Penzance falls silent as Cornish prayer marks Armistice Day
Penzance stopped to remember on Wednesday, and some of the words spoken in the Memorial Garden were in Cornish.
People gathered in the Memorial Garden at Penlee Park for a Service of Remembrance on Armistice Day, Wednesday 11 November. The short service was organised by Penzance Council and led by Revd Derath Durkin, with the Mayor of Penzance, Cllr Andy Law, reciting The Lord’s Prayer in Cornish.
“The guns fell silent”
Welcoming everyone to the garden, the Mayor opened the service.
“At the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the guns fell silent,” he said. “We meet here today, in this beautiful, tranquil, Memorial Garden, in order to remember those service men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in fighting for peace in Europe.
“As well as the service men and women, we remember all the ancillary staff and the family and friends of those who died. We also remember those who came back, changed for ever.
“But Armistice Day is not just about remembrance, not just about the past, it is about the future as well. We live in an age where the spectre of wars and conflicts haunt us again. Where tyrants and despots use war for their own gain.
“Let us remember the sacrifice of others and reach out across the divide to grasp what unites us rather than what divides us.”
Young voices and The Last Post
A large crowd attended, including firefighters from Penzance Community Fire Station, councillors and members of the public. And this year’s service had a number of emotive additions.
Pupils from St Mary’s C of E Primary School recited together: “At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.”
The Last Post followed, played by Yves Giebens and Gwyn Williams from Penzance Silver Band.
The Kohima Epitaph and prayers from pupils
After a two-minute silence, veteran Robert Bolitho said the words of the Kohima Epitaph. Then several schoolchildren came forward to read prayers they had written for the service.
Penzance Council thanked everyone involved in the service and all those who attended, as well as those taking part in other Acts of Remembrance across the Parish.
Wreaths on the ‘Poppies to Paddington’ sleeper
The night before, on Tuesday evening (10 November), the Mayor was at Penzance station for a different kind of tribute.
He joined the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, the Officers Commanding Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose and RAF St Mawgan, Penzance Sea Cadets, and representatives of the NHS and Armed Forces charities to lay wreaths on the 21.45 GWR ‘Poppies to Paddington’ Riviera Sleeper train.
It was part of Routes of Remembrance 2026, organised by The Veterans Charity, which saw hundreds of wreaths travel across the country before converging on London and other major cities for special remembrance services.
More wreaths joined at stations along the route. Those laid in Penzance travelled overnight to the Paddington Station War Memorial, arriving in time for 11am.
Read Next
- MevagisseyAt 11am the binoculars came down.
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!
To keep up with the latest cornish news follow us below
Follow CornishStuff on Facebook - Like our Facebook page to get the latest news in your feed and join in the discussions in the comments. Click here to give us a like!
Follow us on Twitter - For the latest breaking news in Cornwall and the latest stories, click here to follow CornishStuff on X.
Follow us on Instagram - We also put the latest news in our Instagram Stories. Click here to follow CornishStuff on Instagram.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
