FAMILIES are being encouraged to observe a two-minute silence tomorrow as the Faithful City remembers those who gave their lives for freedom.

Members of the Royal British Legion hope Worcester will come to a standstill to pay respects to those who fought in the two world wars.

Shops in the city and across towns and villages will stop trading for two minutes in memory of the war dead.

The RBL has called for a nationwide observance of the silence.

The decision has been welcomed by the chairman of the RBL's Worcester branch, John Hewlett.

"The two-minute silence is very important to us. The soldiers who fought for this country gave us the freedom that we have today and we must never forget that," he said.

"Many lost their lives in battle and we must pay our respects to them."

Mr Hewlett and the Mayor of Worcester, Councillor Mary Drinkwater, will lay wreaths at the Cenotaph outside Worcester Cathedral.

"We will be there on Saturday and again on Sunday," said Mr Hewlett, of Windsor Avenue, St John's.

Dick Valentine, former chairman of the Claines branch of the Royal British Legion, is also encouraging people to honour the silent tribute.

"I think it is very important that we do this. There's a lot to think about during the two minutes," he said.

The RBL calculates that 73 per cent of the population observed the November 11 silence last year.

Staff at many major stores in Worcester will be observing the two-minute silence tomorrow, including Beatties, Russell & Dorrell, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer.

Worcester City Council employees are also being asked to observe it.

Customers at council facilities open that day, such as leisure centres, will be asked to pause in their activities.

Other members of council staff have been encouraged to take time out from their weekend to join in the silence, wherever they are.

"We are keen to show our respect and gratitude to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country," said the Mayor.

Wreath-laying at County Hall today

A WREATH was due to be laid at the County Hall Memorial today by the chairman of Worcestershire County Council.

The act of remembrance was being held today because this year, November 11 falls on a Saturday.

There was to be a short address, with wreaths laid by Adrian Gregson on behalf of Unison's county branch and retired members sections and by council chairman Peter Carter.

There was to be no two-minute silence at the service as the whole country is being encouraged to ob-serve that at 11am tomorrow.

There is also an exhibition at County Hall giving details about former county council employees who were killed in both of the world wars.

"It is important that we do remember the sacrifice that was made on our behalf, not just by the men and women of Worcestershire, but all nations that changed the course of history," said Coun Peter Carter.

Mayor to join RBL members tomorrow

THE Royal British Legion will remember fallen comrades tomorrow outside Worcester Cathedral.

The city's Mayor, Councillor Mary Drinkwater, is to attend.

She will join the chairman of the Worcester City branch of the RBL, John Hewlett, to lay wreaths at 10.45am.

All ex-servicemen and women, as well as war widows, are invited to the ceremony, during which two minutes silence will be observed.

The Rev Paul Collins, the padre of the RBL in Worcester, will offer prayers before a bugle is sounded and rockets let off at 11am.

On Sunday, a Remembrance Service is to be held at the Cathedral, starting at 10.45am.

The Salvation Army will lead a parade, which will fall in at 10am in Queen Street.

At 3pm, members of the Worcester branch of the Royal British Legion will take part in a ceremony at the cemetery in St John's.

Members will lay wreaths at the grave of the Rev Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, better known as First World War padre "Woodbine Willie''.

At the churches in Worcester:

* St John's Church, Worcester:

Short service with silent tribute tomorrow at 10.50am, with parade at 9.30am and a service at 10am on Sunday.

* St John The Baptist Church, Claines:

Wreath-laying on Sunday at 10.40am and a Service of Remembrance at 11am.

* St Phillip and St James Church, Whittington:

Holy Communion at 10am and Act of Remembrance at 11am on Sunday.

* St Barnabas Church, Rainbow Hill:

Meet at the war memorial at 10.55am on Sunday, for a ceremony to be followed by a short service in church.

* St Martin with St Peter, London Road:

Sung Eucharist and parade service, 9.45am on Sunday

At 6.30pm there will be the Act of Remembrance, particularly remembering those former comrades who died during the year.

Malvern's weekend services:

THE following Remembrance Weekend services are being held in Malvern:

* Christ Church, Barnards Green.

Sunday, November 12, at 10.50am, followed by a two minutes silence and a short service at the War Memorial at around 11.45am.

* Leigh Church.

Sunday, November 12, at 10.45am, with the the two minutes silence being observed at 11am.

* Malvern Priory.

Sunday, November 12, parade musters by the post box in Graham Road and, at 2.15pm, will march to the War Memorial in grounds of Malvern Library.

There a service will be led by the Rev John Barr, Vicar of Malvern Priory.

The parade will reassemble at 3pm to march to the Priory via Graham Road and Church Street for a service at 3.15pm.

It will meet again at 3.50pm in the Priory churchyard and will march to Graham Road, where the Mayor will attend to take the salute.

Where to honour them in the Forest:

A CIVIC parade and service are being held at St Mary's Church, Kidderminster, on Sunday.

People are being asked to assemble at New Road car park at 10.15am, or at the war memorial at 10.45am.

In Bewdley, a parade musters at Bridge House car park in Riverside North at 10.30am, with a service at St Anne's Church at 11am.

At 4.15pm, there will be a wreath-laying at All Saints Church, Wribbenhall, followed by an evening service.

In Stourport-on-Severn a two-minute silence will be held at the War Memorial in Vale Road at 11am tomorrow.

Before that, a civic parade will pass Severn Road, Mitton Street and Vale Road from 10.30am.

There will be a service at St Wulstan's RC Church at 11.15am, then a parade through High York and Lichfield streets.

In the Vale:

IN Evesham, uniformed organisations and ex-service personnel will meet in the High Street at 10.30am on Sunday, parade to the war memorial for wreath laying, then to All Saints Church for a service.

In Pershore, representatives will lay wreaths at the war memorial after a service in the Abbey at 10.55am.

Tomorrow, ex-servicemen and women will be at Pershore cemetery gates for the two minutes silence and the sounding of the Last Post and Reveille.

A similar ceremony is being held at the Garden of Remembrance.

Railway's tribute to its own fallen heroes

THE Severn Valley Railway will pay tribute to local railwaymen and women who fell during the two World Wars at a service to be held on Sunday.

The names of those who gave their lives for freedom will be read out in a moving reminder of the ultimate price of peace in the two major conflicts of the last century.

It is the fifth year that the service has been held and once again it will be led by the Rev John Bassett, who is the former chaplain of the Railway Mission at Birmingham's New Street station.

The 10.45am service on Sunday will be held at Severn Valley Railway's Kidderminster terminus.

The sounding of the Last Post will be performed by bugler Alf Cooper and there will be a Bible reading by Stuart Mustow CBE, former county surveyor for West Midlands County Council.

They will be conducted on the station concourse at Kidderminster prior to the departure of the noon train, with a wreath on its engine.