Hundreds turned out for Witham's Remembrance Sunday parade on 8 November, led by the Royal British Legion. Priti Patel also laid a wreath in Tollesbury.

Hundreds of people turned out in Witham on Sunday 8 November for the town’s Remembrance Sunday parade and service, which began with wreaths laid at Witham Town War Memorial.

The parade was coordinated by the Royal British Legion. Priti Patel, the MP for Witham and president of the Legion’s Witham branch, joined veterans, serving personnel, cadets, uniformed groups and community leaders, her office said. Earlier that morning she was at the service in Tollesbury, where she laid a wreath at the village memorial.

Priti Patel with two women and a man, each holding a poppy wreath, on a street in Witham
Priti Patel with wreath-layers before the parade in Witham. Photo: supplied by the Office of Priti Patel MP

The parade and service

The wreath-laying at the war memorial honoured the dead of both world wars and of later conflicts. The service that followed brought together members of the Armed Forces, local cadet units and crews from Essex Police and the county’s fire and ambulance services, alongside community representatives and what the MP’s office described as a large crowd of residents.

Priti Patel carrying a poppy wreath in the parade beside a man wearing a chain of office and an officer in dress uniformPriti Patel talking to an officer in dress uniform with a sword at the roadsidePriti Patel walking in the parade with a man wearing a chain of office, children watching from the pavementPriti Patel walking beside a brick gate pillar with dignitaries in uniform behind her

4 photos, swipe or scroll. Photos: supplied by the Office of Priti Patel MP

What Priti Patel said

Ms Patel said:

“Remembrance Sunday is a deeply poignant day, offering a collective moment for us all to honour the bravery, sacrifice, and service of those who laid down their lives to secure our freedom. Standing alongside veterans, families and our local community in Witham, commemorating the service of men and women who have given everything to secure our liberty and peace is incredibly humbling.

“I want to thank all those who helped organise today’s event, and everyone who turned out to show their respect.”

Her office called the parade “one of the most significant events in the town’s calendar”, a day when the community gathers “in remembrance and in gratitude of the nation’s Armed Forces”.

Priti Patel talking with two police officers in traditional helmets beside the war memorialPriti Patel with an older woman in a pale blue coat inside a hall decorated with buntingPriti Patel standing with a piper in Highland dress outside the Royal British Legion Witham Branch hutA poppy wreath with a green centre bearing the House of Commons portcullis, laid at the memorialWreath-layers holding poppy wreaths stand in a line in front of a crowd

5 photos, swipe or scroll. Photos: supplied by the Office of Priti Patel MP

The morning in Tollesbury

Before Witham, Ms Patel attended the morning service in Tollesbury and laid a wreath at the village memorial, her office said.

Priti Patel holding a poppy wreath with a vicar and a woman in front of the Tollesbury Royal British Legion Club, cadets and a piper nearbyPriti Patel bending to lay a poppy wreath at a black war memorial inscribed To the Glorious Dead, crowd behindPoppy wreaths and wooden crosses laid around the base of a black war memorialPriti Patel talking to two veterans, one in a red beret and medals, with a piper behindPriti Patel talking to two men, one in a maroon beret, beside a wooden fencePriti Patel and two other wreath-layers, one in uniform, holding poppy wreaths

6 photos, swipe or scroll. Photos: supplied by the Office of Priti Patel MP

What it means for you

Witham and Tollesbury held their parades on the same Sunday as Chelmsford. Our Chelmsford Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day page has the city’s arrangements, including the two-minute silence at 11am on Armistice Day, Wednesday 11 November.

To support the Royal British Legion’s work with veterans and service families, the Poppy Appeal takes donations online.

Source: press release and photographs from the Office of Priti Patel MP, 10 November 2026.