The Society was pleased to take part in the Commemoration events which took place in Halifax during the weekend of 9-11th November. This year’s commemoration was extra special as it marked the 100th Anniversary of the end of the first World War. More than twenty-five guests from Aachen attended on the invitations of Calderdale Council and Halifax Minster.
The guests represented Aachen Council, the Lutheran Church in the district of Aachen and the German Army based in the city. They were given a warm welcome by the Mayor and Mayoress of Calderdale and Canon Hilary Barber, Vicar of Halifax and friendships quickly developed between the hosts and visitors. Members of the Society spoke to the visitors about the links between Halifax and Aachen which go back seventy years to 1949 and the twinning partnership which reaches its own 40th Anniversary in 2019.
The guests attended receptions in the Town Hall and the Minster and enjoyed a guided tour of Halifax town centre. Two concerts took place in the Minster including one by the re-nowned Hannover Girls’ Choir. On Remembrance Sunday the German representatives joined with Halifax civic leaders and local organisations in the Parade from the Town Hall to the Minster where the Act of Remembrance Service took place and wreaths were placed at the cenotaph – soldiers from the Yorkshire regiment and the German army side by side.
Afterwards, more than 1,000 people attended the Remembrance Sunday Service in the Minster where the sermon was given by a Pastor from Aachen.
Geoff Barnes
Vice-Chair and Publicity Officer
