Churches mark Remembrance Sunday

Churches are holding special services today as the nation marks Remembrance Sunday.

Many people will be gathering at churches and town war memorials today to pay their respects to comrades, family members and friends who made the ultimate sacrifice in the First World War and conflicts since, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Prime Minister David Cameron, writing in The Telegraph, said this year's Remembrance Day was especially poignant as the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War approaches.

"Some may think that after a century it is time to move on. I could not disagree more," he said.

In addition to the huge numbers killed in battle and the devastating aftermath of Nazism and Bolshevism, the Prime Minister said the First World War should be commemorated because of the "pull [it] still exerts on the British heart".

"Whether it’s through the poems of Wilfred Owen or the memoirs of Robert Graves, this war has a powerful hold on our national consciousness," he said.

"Those who fought in the trenches, at sea and in the air are still our boys – and the 100th anniversary has to reflect that."

Some churches this year will be using the "Defender" resources provided by Christian Vision for Men and HOPE, which feature interviews with Christian soldiers and their relatives.

At St Margaret’s Church, Great Barr near Walsall in the Diocese of Lichfield, a new pair of memorials will be the focus of Remembrance this year after metal thieves stole the originals in 2011.

The new memorials were dedicated at a special service in September.