Lambeth will remember the men and women who fought and gave their lives in British, Commonwealth and empire armed services in six ceremonies marking Remembrance Sunday (9 November).
Brixton’s Windrush Square will again host a service, honouring Caribbean and African service personnel, jointly organised by the West Indian Association of Service Personnel (WASP), Friends of Windrush Square (FoWS), the Black Cultural Archives (BCA), the Ministry of Defence (MOD), and Lambeth council. It will begin at 2pm.
FoWS said this annual service “pays heartfelt tribute to the African and Caribbean men and women who served in the British Armed Forces during both World Wars and in subsequent conflicts, and remembers all those who have served and sacrificed. It recognises their courage and enduring legacy in shaping Britain’s history and freedom.”
The ceremony will begin with a parade of service personnel and will include prayers, wreath-laying, and readings led by veterans, cadets, community representatives, and civic leaders.
The public is warmly invited to attend and take part in this collective act of remembrance, FoWS said.
“This service is an opportunity to come together as a community to remember the courage and sacrifice of those who fought for freedom, often without recognition,” said Ros Griffiths, chair of FoWS.
“Their contribution is part of our shared British story, and it deserves to be remembered with pride and gratitude.”
Sydney Marshall of WASP said: “Our veterans played a vital role in defending Britain, yet their stories are too often overlooked. This ceremony ensures that their service and sacrifice are honoured and never forgotten.”
Lambeth council said that spots for the Windrush Square event can be reserved at: eventbrite.co.uk/e/remembrance-sunday-on-windrush-square-tickets-1738346123049
The day will start with a parade from Lambeth town hall to Windrush Square for a wreath laying.
Other Remembrance Day events in the borough are at
Kennington Park War Memorial, 10.45am
Albert Carr Gardens War Memorial, Streatham, 10.45am
The S.O.E Agents Monument, Lambeth Palace Road SE1, 10.45am
Stockwell Clock War Memorial Gardens, 11am
Vincennes Estate, 3pm
During the Second World War, German forces used the Château de Vincennes near Paris as a base and a prison for members of the French Resistance. On 20 August 1944, during the battle for the Liberation of Paris, 26 French police officers and members of the Resistance were executed in the fortress, and their bodies thrown into a common grave.
The Lambeth council estate that houses the memorial was named in their honour.
One of its buildings is named for Violet Szabo, a British secret agent who was the first woman to be awarded the George Cross and who is honoured with a blue plaque at 18 Burnley Road in Stockwell.
She also gave her life for the French Resistance.
Born in Paris to an English father and French mother, Violette moved to 18 Burnley Road with her family in 1935. When the war came, she was working in the perfume department of Brixton’s Bon Marché store.
In 1940 she met and married a French officer of Hungarian parentage – Étienne Szabo – who joined the Free French forces in North Africa and died in action in 1942. Violette joined the French section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE)
She was sent into occupied France twice: first in April 1944 and two months later, when, shortly after her arrival, she was captured by German forces. She was executed along with two SOE colleagues at Ravensbrück concentration camp.
