VETERANS of conflicts old and new filled the streets of Bury to pay tribute to fallen colleagues.

In one of the largest Remembrance Sunday (Nov 9) parades the town has seen, more than a thousand service men and women joined emergency services personnel and townspeople to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. And the town's warm welcome was shared equally by ageing veterans as well as young soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and Fusiliers from the Territorial Army who have recently returned from war in Iraq.

Pictured is Territorial Army Fusilier Sergeant Phil Stokes (28), of Bury, who returned from Iraq last week, swaps war stories with Second World War veteran Corporal Colin Olive (85) of Tottington.

At 11am, heads were bowed and the troops stood to attention as they observed the two-minutes silence, the haunting Last Post starting the and poignant tribute.

The Mayor of Bury, Councillor Wilf Davison, laid a wreath on behalf of the people of the borough at the cenotaph. For the first time, a wreath in blue was also laid in honour of members of the elite SAS regiment who have been killed in action.

In his address to the congregation of St Mary's, the parish church, Reverend Dr John Findon said: "Quite rightly, on Remembrance Sunday, we contemplate the waste and the cost. We should have no right to forget such things, even if we were able to forget. Remembrance is our solemn duty, and there is no sign that the need for it is diminishing.

"For those who survived in uniform during the years from 1939 to 1945, or during one of the long list of conflicts since, and for those who know about war second hand, there also remains the duty of living, of growing old, as those young victims never did grow old."

Similar Remembrance Day parades and services were held throughout the day as thousands of people marked the poignant annual occasion.

Businesses, work places and shopping centres fell silent on Tuesday as the borough marked Armistice Day at the 11th hour of the 11th day on the 11 month. Thousands supported the Royal British Legion's campaign for a national Two Minutes silent tribute.