Remembrance over the years as Doncaster stays silent to honour its fallen

Doncaster always remembers, and this year, as a multitude of events take place to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War, we cast a glance at remembrance services from years gone by in the borough.
Doncaster Star News pix: 11 November 2006.

Remembrance service outside the Mansion House, Doncaster, on Saturday (11 Nov).Doncaster Star News pix: 11 November 2006.

Remembrance service outside the Mansion House, Doncaster, on Saturday (11 Nov).
Doncaster Star News pix: 11 November 2006. Remembrance service outside the Mansion House, Doncaster, on Saturday (11 Nov).

Parades and services take place each year throughout the borough, but centrally, there is focal activity involving the Mansion House, the war memorial in Bennetthorpe and an annual parade to Doncaster Minster.

The Minster has been the venue for many Festivals of Remembrance.

Doncaster Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph Bennethorpe.
Doncaster's hero soldier Ben Parkinson lays a wreath.Doncaster Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph Bennethorpe.
Doncaster's hero soldier Ben Parkinson lays a wreath.
Doncaster Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph Bennethorpe. Doncaster's hero soldier Ben Parkinson lays a wreath.
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In one photograph here from 2008, Doncaster's hero soldier, Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, is seen laying a wreath at the cenotaph in Doncaster on Remembrance Sunday, 2008.

Ben suffered more than 40 injuries and was not expected to survive when his vehicle detonated a landmine in 2006.

Along with brain damage that affected his memory and his speech, he broke his back in four places, his pelvis, and he shattered his chest and arm.

He broke all his ribs, his spleen was ruptured and his legs were so badly damaged that surgeons had to remove both above the knee.   

Doncaster news: 29/10/2004

"We will remeber them". Heads bowed, hats off, while the bugler plays The Last Post. 



Pix: Steve TaylorDoncaster news: 29/10/2004

"We will remeber them". Heads bowed, hats off, while the bugler plays The Last Post. 



Pix: Steve Taylor
Doncaster news: 29/10/2004 "We will remeber them". Heads bowed, hats off, while the bugler plays The Last Post. Pix: Steve Taylor
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Since then  Ben has done numerous parachute jumps as well as fundraising expeditions all over the world, that  enabled him to raise around £1million to help other soldiers with life-changing injuries through the charity Pilgrim Bandits, of which he is  ambassador.

In 2012, he carried the Olympic flame through Doncaster on prosthetic legs for nearly half an hour, with little assistance.

Further photographs depict scenes from 1998 at Doncaster's war memorial, a 2002 remembrance parade along Bennetthorpe, and  the playing of The Last Post around 17 years after WW1 ended, but just four before World War Two began.

A service outside the Mansion House in 2006.'‹'‹'‹'‹completes.'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹

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