Wolverhampton's war heroes to be commemorated during Remembrance Sunday service
Residents are being urged to commemorate war heroes who lost their lives on the frontline during the city's Remembrance Sunday service.
Hundreds of people from across Wolverhampton are expected to unite for the annual Observance of Remembrance next month.
Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Elias Mattu hoped the city would come together with war veterans and serving soldiers as they gather in St Peter's Square to pay tribute to the fallen.
He said: "The annual Observance of Remembrance is an opportunity for the people of Wolverhampton to pay tribute to the men and women of our Armed Forces, past, present and future."
Musicians from the Band of the West Midlands Fire Service will lead serving and former military, as well as community groups, on a parade through the city before the service begins.
They will march from Wulfrana Street at 10.30am, turning into Princes Square, Lichfield Street, Queen Square and Exchange Street, before striding across Cheapside and ending in St Peter's Square.
Crowds of residents will then watch on as a Drumhead Service takes place at the Cenotaph from 11am, followed by a second service within St Peter's Collegiate Church on November 12.
The ceremony will come 100 years after the Battle of Passchendaele - also known as the Third Battle of Ypres - came to an end after more than three months of fighting on November 10, 1917.
The military campaign, thought to be one of the bloodiest episodes of the First World War, saw the deaths of 325,000 Allied and 260,000 German soldiers in the village of Flanders, Belgium.
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A poem depicting the horrific battle will be read during the church service, which residents are invited to join.
Councillor Mattu added: "This year's ceremony will be particularly poignant, as we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele which claimed so many lives.
"Everyone is invited to watch the parade and attend the drumhead service to pay tribute to the fallen servicemen and servicewomen of all conflicts."
Detachments of RAF Cosford, 210 BTY, 103 Regiment Royal Artillery, 1046 and 1047 Cadets, Sea Cadets and the 4th Battalion The Mercian Regiment will pace through the city during the parade..
The will be joined by detachments of the British Korean Veterans Association, the Burma Star Association and the Fellowship of the Services.
Wulfrana Street will be closed from 8.30am until 11am, with drivers also warned to expect temporary delays near to the parade route from 10.30am until about 10.50am.
Wolverhampton is also due to commemorate Dutch soldiers stationed at Wrottesley Park during the Second World War on Saturday, November 11.
The Royal British Legion's Wolverhampton branch will meet at Jeffcock Road Cemetery for its annual Dutch War Graves Service of Remembrance at 10am after a short parade from 9.40am.
