EAST Sussex County Council’s Chairman attended the annual Commonwealth Remembrance Service in Seaford earlier this month.

Cllr Roy Galley was among community leaders, representatives and local dignitaries who joined the Seaford Branch of the Royal British Legion at Seaford Cemetery on Tuesday, November 18.

Each year at 11am on the Tuesday following Armistice Day, the community of Seaford comes together to remember and commemorate those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Seaford Cemetery has a large number of war graves, with close to 280 servicemen of the two World Wars buried in the town’s war cemetery.

Many of these were from across the Commonwealth and the former British Empire, including Canada, the West Indies and Ireland.

Seaford’s position on the Channel coast and its proximity to the port of Newhaven has brought military personnel to the town for hundreds of years, whether to defend potential landing beaches or to train for offensive operations across the Channel.

Cllr Galley said: “I was honoured to attend this year’s Commonwealth Remembrance Service.

“The war graves in Seaford Cemetery remind us that there were once large army camps and training grounds in the town and that servicemen from many different countries gave their lives to defend our freedom.

“We will remember them.”

This year the event was attended by the Deputy Lieutenant Mr Davinder Dhillon OBE DL, the Chairman of East Sussex County Council, the Chairman of Lewes District Council, the Town Clerk of Seaford Town Council, the Seaford Town Crier, alongside representatives from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Royal British Legion, and many individuals from the countries represented, including a delegation of the West Indies who travelled from London to attend the event.