Thousands of York residents and visitors have remembered the war dead with ceremony, military precision, prayer and silence.

The Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Jo Ropner and the Lord Mayor the Rev Chris Cullwick led the laying of wreaths at the city’s war memorial in Memorial Gardens, watched by hundreds of people of all ages.

Before and after the service large crowds lined the procession routes through the city centre and applauded as each parade went past.

Elsewhere, many villages and communities in the York area held their own ceremonies at their own war memorials.

Former and serving members of all three Armed Forces, army and sea cadets, police and  uniformed civilian organisations, processed through the city centre from Clifford’s Tower to Memorial Gardens for the traditional ceremony and service.

They were followed by the veterans’ parade from Stonegate to Memorial Gardens where the waiting crowd applauded as local standards of the Royal British Legion and veteran organisations were carried into place near the war memorial.

The assembly was completed by the arrival of a procession with the Civic Party with both York MPs, the city’s aldermen,  and military and senior dignitaries.

Across the River Ouse, a Service of Remembrance was also underway in York Minster with the The Reverend (Group Captain) Ruth Hake, Deputy Chaplain in Chief, RAF as preacher.

The crowds in Memorial Gardens heard the Ode to the Fallen, the bells of York Minster rang out for 11am, a bugler sounded the Last Post and a single gun  sounded.

The assembled crowds in the Gardens and the cathedral fell silent for two minutes.

The two minutes ended with a single gun firing from the riverbank and the bugler in the Gardens playing the Reveille.

The Kohima Epitaph: ”'When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today" was spoken in the Gardens followed by the laying of wreaths, first by the dignitaries, then by representatives of the Armed Forces and other organisations on parade and by and behalf of veterans.

The Rev Colonel Antony Feltham-White OBE KHC gave a homily and Canon Tim Goode of York Minster led the prayers.

After the service, the veterans with the standards of the Royal British Legion and veteran organisations were first to parade from the Memorial Gardens to the saluting base at Mansion House where the Lord Mayor, the Civic Party,  the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, the High Sheriff of North Yorkshire Clare Granger, the deputy commander reserves 1st (United Kingdom) Division, the Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, the chief constable of North Yorkshire Lisa Winward the chief fire officer of North Yorkshire Jon Dyson and  senior military , religious and civilian dignitaries were standing.

The two guns of the Royal Artillery that had sounded the gun salutes led the contingents of the military and uniformed organisations that had been on parade at Memorial Gardens over Lendal Bridge and through St Helen’s Square.