Bermondsey remembers

A military band, the Army cadets, the MP, the Mayor, the Councillors, local clergy, Sir Simon Hughes and lots of veterans, together with members of the public, gathered this morning in brilliant sunshine for the long awaited rededication of the War Memorial in Old Jamaica Rd, to be performed by the Bishop of Southwark.

 When the old military training centre, which stood in Old Jamaica Rd, was demolished, the old war memorial was carefully dismantled, stored, and then, when the new block of flats was built, it was reinstalled in its old location, ready for today's rededication by Bishop Christopher (right).

The names of 970 Bermondsey men who gave their lives in the First World War are inscribed on the monument which was first unveilled in 1921. In addition, there is a separate plaque commememorating those who died in the Second World War and a third plaque, unveilled today by the Mayor of Southwark, commemorating today's rededication of this Grade 2 Listed Monument.

The Deputy Lieutenant, representing the Queen, laid the first wreath

It is good to know that in the midst of all the redevelopment in Bermondsey, this crucial part of our heritage has been remembered and honoured, and that, best of all, we have continued to remember those Bermondsey boys who gave their lives for the nation.

This year, as always, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial on Remembrance Sunday at 10am led by St James's clergy.

Part of the guard of honour, those on the right wearing period WW2 uniforms

Finally, a video of today's events, tweeted by Southwark News

Head down to Abbey Street for some war-era tunes as the memorial to Bermondsey's fallen men gets rededicated pic.twitter.com/csnh2ayqMk

— Southwark News (@Southwark_News) September 19, 2015