Remembrance Day: London Northwestern Railway partners with communities to pay respects

Military veterans in Milton Keynes and Northampton were represented at a major national Remembrance ceremony today (Thu 11 Nov) thanks to a partnership with rail operator London Northwestern Railway (LNR).

Under the “Routes of Remembrance” initiative, wreaths on behalf of The Veterans Charity were laid at a London memorial after being transported aboard LNR services to Euston.

The initiative was established by The Veterans Charity in the south west of England last year to help veterans who were unable to travel to London to take part in national ceremonies due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year the scheme has been rolled out nationally, including at Milton Keynes and Northampton.

This morning military veterans attended short ceremonies on the platforms at Milton Keynes and Northampton stations before wreaths were loaded onto LNR services, arriving at London Euston in time for the station’s Remembrance ceremony.

Iraq veteran Dean Griffin escorted a wreath from Northampton with Oscar Wilding escorting the wreath from Milton Keynes on behalf of 678 Squadron (Rifles) Army Air Corps,

Lawrence Bowman, LNR customer experience director, said: “We are proud to partner with The Veterans Charity to help people in Milton Keynes pay tribute to the fallen on Remembrance Day.

“With some people unable to travel to London to take part in national ceremonies, we were honoured to take part in the Routes of Remembrance initiative across the railway network.”

Danny Greeno, chief executive of The Veterans Charity, said: “Since expanding the scheme for 2021 we have had a brilliant response across the country. We know the pandemic has not gone away yet and this event has helped veterans engage with Remembrance.

“I would like to thank London Northwestern Railway and our members in Milton Keynes and Northampton for their efforts in arranging the ceremony and celebrating the deep links between the railway and the military.”

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