From the MP: On Monday 11th November, Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, joined Councillor Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) Council, Councillor Liz Hardman, Vice-Chair of B&NES, Councillor Michelle O’Doherty, Mayor of Bath, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset, Mohammed Saddiq, and representatives from veterans’ charities, and the armed and emergency services at Bath Spa Stationto hand over poppy wreaths in tribute to Bath’s war veterans.
Wera then boarded the Poppy Train with her own wreath, which was decorated with the City of Bath crest and her handwritten message, before accompanying it all the way to London.
On arrival at Paddington Station, Wera placed the city of Bath’s wreath in a poignant display amongst hundreds ofothers from across the GWR operating area at the War Memorial on Platform 1.
The Memorial showcased a display of 22,442 cascading poppy petals, made from recycled wreaths, to represent the number of service personnel under British command who died during D-Day and the Battle of Normandy in 1944. This year’s commemorations also pay special tribute to the wartime contributions of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution as they celebrate their 200th year.
Now in its fifth year, the Poppy Train tradition began during Covid when Armistice Day ceremonies were not always possible. GWR worked together with the Veterans Charity to take wreaths on special trains from local communities to Paddington Station to be laid at the war memorial there as part of GWR’s Remembrance Service.
After laying the wreath, Wera then joined a moving memorial service, in which she sang hymns, heard shanties sung by The 85ers, a choir of RNLI volunteers, and listened to poignant statements, before taking part in a moment of silence to reflect on the sacrifice made by Bath’s war veterans.
Wera also took part in acts of respect in Bath on Remembrance Sunday, laying a parliamentary wreath at the city’s war memorial in the morning, and joining the civic procession and Bath Abbey service in the afternoon.
A few days prior, she planted a cross dedicated to Bath’s war veterans and 815 Naval Air Squadron, with local Commander James Woods, in the Garden of Remembrance at Westminster.
Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath, paid tribute to the city’s war veterans and fallen soldiers, saying:
“I am truly honoured to join the Poppy Train again, and carry Bath’s own wreath to the Paddington War Memorial on behalf of my constituents.
“It was also a privilege to plant a cross in Westminster’s Garden of Remembrance alongside Commander James Woods to commemorate the bravery of the 815 Naval Air Squadron in the Battle of Taranto in 1940.
“We must never forget the stories of sailors, soldiers and airmen and women who fought for our freedom in World War II, and in all conflicts across the globe. We thank all of them for their service and their sacrifice.”