Brits across Spain fall silent for Armistice Day, from the Costa Blanca to Gibraltar

British veterans marched behind bagpipes and flags in Torrevieja on Wednesday November 11, as the town’s British community and its council marked Armistice Day side by side. This year’s wreaths weren’t only for those lost in war either, with the town also remembering victims of terrorism.

Pipes and standards lead the way to Sagrado Corazón

The Royal British Legion’s Torrevieja branch, chaired by Jack Kemp, organised the commemoration together with Torrevieja Town Hall. The Torrevieja Pipes and Drums led standard bearers carrying the Union Flag, the Spanish flag and the Legion’s own colours to the Parroquia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, where the service began at 11am.

Reverend Richard Seabrook, pastor of the Anglican church in Torrevieja, led the service under the branch’s ‘Service not Self’ banner. Veterans of the Royal Navy, the Army and the RAF were joined by the British Vice-Consul in Alicante, Sara Munsterhjelm, and officers from Torrevieja’s Local Police.

The town hall sent a strong line-up too, with Deputy Mayor Rosario Martínez Chazarra, councillor for international residents Gitte Lund and councillor for coexistence and integration Óscar Urtasun all taking part.

Wreaths for victims of war and terrorism

From the church, the programme moved to the neighbouring Plaza de Oriente for a floral tribute that the town hall said was dedicated to everyone killed in wars and in acts of terrorism.

The town hall described the 11am gathering on November 11 as a fixture in the calendar every year for the area’s British community. The branch then planned to round off the day with an Armistice lunch for members and friends.

Two pupils read poems at the service

Local schoolchildren played their part too. Phoenix International School said two of its pupils were invited to the service at Sagrado Corazón, where they read poems, and that they ‘represented our school beautifully’.

Back at school, staff and pupils held their own Remembrance assembly and observed a two-minute silence. ‘It is so important that we continue to teach our children the meaning of remembrance,’ the school said, so that respect, gratitude and the importance of peace are carried forward to future generations.

Gibraltar falls silent in Parliament House

Along the coast, Gibraltar marked the 108th anniversary of the Armistice with its traditional ceremony in the lobby of Parliament House, led by the Mayor, Nicholas Guerrero. The Royal Gibraltar Regiment marked the two-minute silence at 11am, a bugler sounded the Last Post and wreaths were laid at the war memorials, with the Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Ben Bathurst, among the dignitaries listed to take part.

The Royal Gibraltar Regiment and the Gibraltar branch of the Royal British Legion formed the guard of honour. ‘On Armistice Day, we pause to remember and honour all those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of freedom,’ the Mayor said in a message after the ceremony.

Coín and Zurgena also kept the date

On the Costa del Sol, the Legion’s Coín branch planned its annual service for 11.30am at Coín Cemetery Chapel, timed to coincide with the chimes of Big Ben in London. The programme included the two-minute silence with the Last Post and Reveille, wreaths for every branch of the Armed Forces and music from the Tapas Choir, with the town’s mayor, councillors, the Guardia Civil and the Legion’s Riders Branch invited.

In Almería, the Zurgena and District branch set its Service of Remembrance for the Renfe railway building in La Alfoquía, with a meal to follow.

A week of remembrance across Spain

Wednesday’s services rounded off a busy few days for Brits in Spain. On Remembrance Sunday, November 8, more than 500 people packed into Mil Palmeras for the Orihuela Costa branch’s service, with an outdoor screen set up for those who couldn’t fit inside.

The Torrevieja branch held three ceremonies of its own that day, with Mayor Eduardo Dolón laying the town’s wreath at the memorial garden in La Siesta. Services were also held in Jávea, at Sabinillas on the Costa del Sol and in Madrid.

The Poppy Appeal season started even earlier, with hundreds watching Benidorm’s ceremony on the Levante seafront on October 17, where a 94-year-old Royal Navy veteran took part in uniform. According to Benidorm Town Hall, the Legion has around 4,000 members in Spain, more than 1,000 of them in Alicante province.

Anyone who missed this week’s services can still give to the Poppy Appeal through their local branch, with the money going towards the Legion’s welfare work for veterans and their families living in Spain.