FAULTY WATCH STOPPED US PAYING RESPECT (From Warrington Guardian)

FAULTY WATCH STOPPED US PAYING RESPECT

DOZENS of people missed the chance to pay their respects to those who died in wars - because organisers of a service got the time wrong.

Those who turned out at Winsford war memorial on Armistice Day were staggered to discover they missed the service, which started 10 minutes early.

And the British Legion's timekeeping was little better on Remembrance Sunday with that service starting five minutes late.

The reason given for the two minutes silence on Armistice Day beginning 10 minutes earlier than the symbolic 11am start time was that the president of the Royal British Legion's watch was wrong.

Dilip Solanki-Coli, treasurer of the legion's Winsford branch, said: "Basically what happened was the president said it was 11am when it was a little bit before - you can't time 11am exactly.

"Remembrance Sunday is the main service and that's two or three days late anyway."

One of the people who missed the service was Joseph Soames, 63, of the Grange Estate. He said: "Those men gave their lives fighting for our freedom - the least we could do is get the time right."

Alexander Bayliss, president of the British Legion Winsford branch, said: "I apologise to anyone who missed the service but it is one of those unfortunate things.

"We had a young lad come in at the last minute to play the Last Post and it went a little bit out because it was timed to his bugle.

"I don't want to blame him, because the speaker system wasn't working so I wasn't able to tell him when to start."

But Ellen Leask, of Town Close, is furious the service started early.

She said: "What on earth has a speaker system got to do with a two minute silence?

"We got there at 10.45am and it had already started - it's an absolute disgrace."

Many people were also left dismayed following the service on Remembrance Sunday.

One Winsford resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "I have attended the parade since I was a child with my father and this is the worst year organisationally that I have ever attended.

"My father is so disappointed that he has vowed to attend Middlewich next year."

phennessey@guardiangrp.co.uk