Proud to see young and old come together in respect

WHENEVER I attend a commemoration at the Cenotaph in Rochdale, I am always proud of the way such moments unite the young and the old of our borough.

- Paul Waugh

Earlier this month, the 80th anniversary of VE Day was attended by the wonderful 102-year-old Ken Wright, one of the few surviving veterans of World War Two and a Newbold resident.

It was a true honour to walk beside Ken, his walking stick for support, and to see him lay his wreath to his fallen comrades.

He has talked movingly of his own experience of the Normandy D-Day landings that changed the course of the war.

“All my mates got killed,” he said. “The battle I was in, there were hundreds of casualties.

“Out of our platoon of 34 men there were only nine of us left.”

But what struck me was just how much he wanted to talk about the present generation, saying it was "absolutely marvellous to see the children" from St Andrew's and Kentmere primary schools singing their songs at the Cenotaph.