Anger over Sidmouth Remembrance Day cut

AN ex-serviceman helping prepare Sidmouth’s Remembrance Day commemorations has labelled a district council cutback over ‘maroons’ used to mark the two-minute silence as “shameful.”

AN ex-serviceman helping prepare Sidmouth’s Remembrance Day commemorations has labelled a district council cutback over fireworks used to mark the two-minute silence as “shameful.”

Richard Waring, liaison between ex-servicemen’s associations in Sidmouth, said a decision not to fund pyrotechnics this year was “shameful.”

“Speaking on behalf of ex-servicemen its appalling,” said Mr Waring, “the issue is how they can cut back on such a trivial cost for such a meaningful occasion. It’s the principle of the matter.

“We’re certainly not going to beg or bend down on one knee for anything like this. “We won’t find it difficult putting something together out of our own pocket.

An East Devon District Council (EDDC) spokesperson said the provision and storage of traditional ‘maroons’ and fireworks for Remembrance Day purposes had become “increasingly problematic” and, “recluctantly”, it could no longer supply them.

He added the authority wrote to all town and parish councils on November 25 last year, advising of the decision.

“They had 11 months’ notice of this decision and we would hope that they have all been able to make alternative arrangements. We did not receive any queries after our letter went out,” said the spokesperson.