Scores of residents, staff and supporters turned out to pay tribute to fallen servicemen and women at a Remembrance Day ceremony at Broughton House Veteran Care Village in Salford.
A 100-year-old D-Day paratrooper was among the residents who led the poignant service in the grounds of the care home.
Peter Belcher, a sergeant in the Parachute Regiment during the Second World War, read the Lord’s Prayer and the Kohima Epitaph during the moving ceremony.
Other service veterans taking part were Major Andrew Dinning, who served as a commando with the Royal Marines, Captain Robert McMillan, who served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, and Lt Sandy MacDonald, who served in the Royal Artillery.
Major Dinning read the poem In Flanders Fields, Capt McMillan laid the wreath and Lt MacDonald read the Exhortation.
Residents wore their Broughton House blazers and medals for the service, which was also attended by military personnel.
The ceremony also featured the lighting of Lamp Lights of Peace from the first and second world wars.
These are traditional oil lanterns, ruby red in colour, which represent the ‘lights of peace’ which emerged from the darkness of war and honour the ultimate sacrifice by the men and women who served in the conflicts.
Outdoor events company Challenge The Wild, which regularly supports the veteran community, is the custodian of the lamp lights and members of its team were among those taking part in the Broughton House ceremony.
Challenge The Wild founder Dan Searson, who was a captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps, said:
“The lighting of the Lamp Lights of Peace symbolised our enduring commitment to honour these heroes. The flames illuminate their bravery.”
The ceremony also featured a bugler playing Reveille and The Last Post, as well as a two-minute silence.
Afterwards, children from St Philip’s Primary School in Salford sang hymns for the guests in the Veterans’ Mess at Broughton House.
Karen Miller, chief executive of Broughton House, said:
“The service marks an important occasion for our residents to remember their fallen colleagues and the sacrifices made by all service personnel. It’s really important for future generations to appreciate what they went through in order to defend our country and our freedoms.”
Peter Belcher said:
“It’s important to remember the men and women who fell in wars. Those fighting in World War One had it much worse than we did, battling in the trenches.”
Broughton House has cared for more than 8,000 veterans since it opened its doors to the ex-service community in 1916. It was recently redeveloped into a complex with a 64-bed care home, including two 16-bed households dedicated to veterans with dementia, as well as independent living apartments, an array of modern facilities, a museum, gym, hairdressing and barber’s salon, and a restaurant and bar for residents.
It also has an Armed Forces Support Hub, which provides support for elderly and working age veterans living in the community.
Residents of Broughton House were VIP guests at the Remembrance Sunday service at Salford Cenotaph. Gary Taylor, a resident of the Broughton House apartments, read the Exhortation.
