Werrington Royal Mail staff fall silent at memorial

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ROYAL MAIL staff fell silent as the first of many services to rememeber Peterborough’s war dead was observed.

Around 150 employees of all ages at the Royal Mail sorting office in Papyrus Road, Werrington, paused yesterday to mark the occasion.

They filed outside to face a memorial dedicated to Peterborough post office employees killed in action during the First and Second World Wars.

The 15-minute Service of Remembrance, which mirrors that which is observed at The Cenotaph in London, was held at the office yesterday rather than today so that members of the Royal British Legion (RBL) could attend.

Five standard-bearers represented the city’s branch of the RBL and made their solemn march outside the building, before dipping their flags towards the memorial.

Peter Clarkson (55), who works in Royal Mail’s business support centre, has helped uphold the tradition of remembering fallen colleagues for the last 20 years.

He said; “We usually hold our service on the Friday before Remembrance Sunday but the Royal British Legion observe a two-minute silence in Cathedral Square on the 11th.

“When that occurs on a Friday we move ours to Thursday.

“It was solemn service and at the right tone to make it appropriate to the occasion and to remember our serving colleagues that died in both world wars.”

The last time Mr Clarkson rememebers holding the annual service on Thursday, November 10 was in 1994.

Father Arockiya Seelan, from Sacred Heart and St Oswald Church, in Lincoln Road, opened the outdoor service with prayers and a reading of remembrance.

Two wreaths were laid with bowed heads on the second to last step of the plinth that supports the post office memorial.

Plant manager at the sorting office John Witt laid the first wreath, followed by Langford Smith, president of the Peterborough branch of the RBL.

Jock McKie sounded the Last Post and a two-minute silence was observed at the stroke of 11am.

The memorial holds the names of 19 employees of the then Peterborough head post office who died during the First World War.

Those lost in the Second World War are also commemorated by the memorial.