HEREFORDSHIRE fell silent on Sunday as people paused to remember service personnel who fought in past and ongoing conflicts.

Dozens of memorial parades took place across the county as communities gathered in churches and at war memorials to honour the Fallen.

In Hereford, hundreds gathered in St Peter’s Square, where they were joined by veterans, cadets and current members of the Armed Forces to pay their respects.

Groups including the emergency services, the SAS Association and the Korean Veterans Association met at the memorial in an event supported by Hereford City Council.

Town clerk Steve Kerry said there was a good turnout for the annual parade.

“The Royal British Legion organise it, but we help out a lot,” he said.

“It was a very successful event. It was well-supported and very moving. It was up to its usual numbers.”

Similar tributes took place in Leominster, Ross-on-Wye and Ledbury and communties around the county as silence fell for two minutes at 11am.

As the Government does not keep a comprehensive record of all Armed Forces veterans living across the UK, it is difficult to arrive at an exact estimate.

But according to the 2011 census, Herefordshire is home to an estimated 4,095 veterans aged between 16 and 64.

That is about four per cent of the population, one of the highest proportions in England and Wales. These veterans were remembered in villages around the county, as well as in Hereford and the market towns.

In Gladestry, near Kington, villagers gathered at the war memorial following morning prayer in the church.

Susan Mullin, president of Gladestry WI, laid a tray of poppies, each one representing a life lost from Colva and Gladestry in the two world wars.

There was a handmade wreath from the playgroup, and also one from the church.

In Little Marcle, near Ledbury, the names of the 80 local men who died in the world wars were read by the chairman of the Royal British Legion branch Lt Col Charles Thwaites.