Remembrance Sunday: Dromore pays respects to serving and fallen veterans
The streets of Dromore Co Down were laden with crowds who came out to pay their respects to fallen and serving veterans for Remembrance Sunday today.
All generations were represented as an air of reverence hung over the town square and war memorial.
The crowds were perhaps the largest they have been in some years, with every footpath surrounding the war memorial layered with members of the public who were keen to pay their respects to fallen and serving members of the armed forces.
Among the long list of those who laid wreaths were UDR veterans, PSNI officers, firefighters, paramedics, children from the local schools and members of the Army and RAF cadets.
Brian McKee, a veteran of the UDR and the Royal Irish said it was "a very poignant day" as he reflected on the comrades that he lost.
"I like to remember them and keep our thoughts with everybody," he added. "I was out at most of the scenes in quite a lot of areas," he said. "My job was to photograph the scenes and to lift the remains, which wasn't an overly pleasant job."
Bob Bawden, a veteran of the Royal Engineers and NI Prison Service, said many people had different reasons for attending the event - all of them important.
"I have lost quite a few colleagues in the armed forces and prison service and for me today it is about remembering them," he said.
Nuala Green served over 30 years in the reserve forces as a nurse, serving in Afghanistan in 2008.
"We spent 3.5 months out there which was a very different and very humbling experience," she said. "And I'm so glad I served. I really enjoyed being in the reserve forces."
Major David Weir serves with the North Irish Horse, a cavalry squadron in North Belfast, his father, Roy having been a UDR major.
"It's important for us to remember those who fell in the past and in more recent conflicts," he said. "It's important to teach our children about the sacrifice that people made on their behalf.”
lan Baxter, served with both the RUC and PSNI said it was important to remember due to the pure scale of deaths in both World Wars.
"So many people died defending people's freedoms and rights and making society safe," he said.