Students and staff from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) gathered to remember the men and women who paid the ultimate wartime sacrifice, by holding a two minute silence on Armistice Day.
A large crowd gathered in Hawthorn Square for a simple Remembrance Day ceremony with addresses given by Denis Stone, a DMU security leader and former member of the 3rd Battalion Light Infantry, and DMU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard.
Hawthorn Building, which overlooks the square, is significant in DMU’s history as many students and staff of our predecessor college The Leicester Municipal Technical and Art School, left the building to fight in the Great War, and never returned.
The Leicester Municipal Technical and Art School was the only higher education institution in Leicester at the time and we know the names of 20 students and staff who died in battle.
Mr Stone, who read out the Act of Remembrance before the bells in Trinity House Chapel chimed to mark the start of the silence, said: “It is a time of remembrance for the people who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy today but sometimes take for granted.
“I remember back to my comrades who were just young 18-to-24-year-olds at the time and never came back.”
Young students said it was important to be at the ceremony and remember people who died during war.
Toni Mallin, a third year studying criminology, was with fellow members of the DMU Women’s Football Team, who had gathered before playing a cup game against Anglian Ruskin University.
Toni, who plays right wing, said: “Soldiers put their life on the line to support us and this is just two minutes to show your respect. Giving up two minutes of your time is nothing to what they have given up. If we could do more, we would.”
Goalkeeper Abi Battisto, a third year Arts and Festival Management student, added: “I think it is so important that students and staff can gather and remember. I have attended every ceremony since I came to DMU and it is great we are all in it together.”
The football team said they were planning to hold a two minute silence before kick-off later in the day.
Elli Milton-White, a halls manager for DMU, said: “It is great for the university to be a community and for us all to remember together.”
Teri Brown, a DMU building attendant, added: “I am here because I have my freedoms today as a result of the sacrifices made by people all that time ago.”
Fellow building attendant Louise Rossiter added: “It is also important to remember all those people who stayed within the community while others were at war. They made sacrifices too.”
Posted on Wednesday 11 November 2015