About remembrance events
The Laying of the First Poppy Service is held on the Thursday before Remembrance Sunday in November to mark the start of the year's Acts of Remembrance. Pupils from every school in Middlesbrough are invited to attend and place a poppy cross in the Field of Remembrance at the cenotaph.
Remembrance Sunday is a day to remember and honour those who lost their lives in both World Wars and later conflicts. It's held at 11am on the second Sunday in November (the Sunday nearest to 11 November, Armistice Day).
Armistice Day is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark the armistice signed between the allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne which came into effect at 11am, the 'eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month' of 1918.
Remembrance Day 2023
This year's remembrance events will begin with the laying of the first poppy on Thursday 9 November 2023.
A small service will take place at the cenotaph on Saturday 11 November 2023 for Armistice Day.
This year's Remembrance Sunday event will take place on Sunday 12 November 2023, with a parade and service.
Check the civic events calendar for more information.
Past Remembrance Days
The 2022 Remembrance Sunday parade and service took place on Sunday 13 November. It was attended by the Mayor Andy Preston and other civic dignitaries. As in previous years, the civic party, veterans, military, and cadets formed up to march up to the cenotaph for the service. Cleveland Army Cadet force corps of drums led the parade, and the Cleveland Concert Band and members of Teesside Apollo Male Voice Choir also performed. The service was given by Canon Glyn Holland. You can watch a video of the 2022 Remembrance Sunday service on YouTube.
You can watch the livestream of the 2021 Remembrance Sunday parade and wreath laying ceremony via Facebook.
Remembrance Day 2020 looked a bit different due to coronavirus, and to keep everyone safe, we could not hold our usual parade and service. The 2020 Remembrance Day service was streamed on Facebook for everyone to watch. We also put together a video to remember our Remembrance Day events from years gone by.
In 2019, Steve Gray, a local amateur photographer, put together a moving tribute, and has very kindly allowed us to show it here. Watch the Remembrance Day 2019 video.