Residents wanting to pay their respects on Remembrance Day have vented their anger after they arrived at a war memorial to find the two-minute silence had taken place before 11am.
People went to Shoreham war memorial in East Street minutes before the annual two-minute silence on Remembrance Sunday – only to find organisers had "their own 11 o’clock to save people standing in the cold”.
Furious residents said they feel “let down” after being unable to mark the occasion properly.
Charlie Roberts-Jones, 42, said she arrived at the service on Sunday at around 10.50am to be told by a friend “you might as well turn around – it’s all over”.
She said: “We weren’t the last to turn up. The looks on their faces were shocking.
“As the church bell struck they started shouting and getting the parade back into place.
“I feel like I haven’t been able to pay my respects.
“I feel like going somewhere else next year.”
Residents said they arrived ten minutes ahead of what should have been the 11am two-minute silence and wreath laying in East Street. The silence followed a Remembrance Sunday service in St Mary de Haura Church.
Read More: Sussex remembers the fallen in Remembrance Day services
But as clocks struck 11am, some fell silent only to find the Remembrance parade reassembling and talking, having already held a two-minute silence.
One person told The Argus that an announcement was made that they were “going to have their own 11 o’clock”.
But while some residents said they were disgusted by the perceived lack of respect, others argued the act of remembrance “doesn’t rely on precise timings”.
One woman who gave her name only as Suzanne, attended the memorial service and said: “It was somewhat of a surprise but everyone politely went along with it.
“It didn’t seem to faze – it’s an act of remembrance and reminding us all how important peace is.
“I respect everyone else’s opinions but there was a lot of Facebook fury.
“It’s what the two-minute silence represents that is important to me.”
A spokeswoman for organisers Royal British Legion said: “The Two Minute silence on Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day is traditionally held at 11am to mark the end of the First World War, but people can come together to remember at any time of day or indeed any day of the year.”
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