TransPennine Express honours wartime heroes at Hull remembrance event

Among those attending were Dame Diana Johnson MP, Cllr Linda Tock, Armed Forces Veteran Champion and Portfolio Holder Children, Young People, Families and Learning for Hull City Council, and Christopher Blucke, Director of Transport and Connectivity at Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority (HEYCA) who represented and laid a wreath on behalf of Mayor Luke Campbell MBE and the Combined Authority.

They stood alongside representatives from the Royal British Legion, former armed forces veterans who now work on the railway and rail industry partners including TransPennine Express, Network Rail, Northern, LNER, Hull Trains, DfTO and the Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership.

Railway Mission Chaplain Andy Mitchell led the service, which included a reading by local cadet Lucy Robinson and the poem A Railway Man at War by A J Hall, read by fellow cadet Matthew Arpigny.

Following the Act of Remembrance and Exhortation, Royal British Legion standards were lowered.

Jack Brown, customer service supervisor at TPE, played The Last Post before a two-minute silence at 11am.

Wreaths were then laid, including one by Dame Diana Johnson MP on behalf of the city’s three MPs, followed by a moment of reflection.

The ceremony took place beside local artist Andy Pea’s striking sculpture of 2,500 handcrafted poppies, symbolising courage and sacrifice and providing a focal point for remembrance within the station.

Hull Paragon’s own wartime history gave the occasion particular significance. Thousands departed through the station to serve in the First World War, and its permanent wooden memorial panels commemorate 4,531 residents from Hull and the East Riding who never returned home.

Their names, regiments and ranks form a lasting tribute for passengers and visitors to reflect on.

Chris Jackson, Managing Director at TransPennine Express, said: “Hull Paragon holds a special place in the region’s wartime history. Behind every name on the station’s memorial panels is a person, a family and a story.

“We’re proud to bring colleagues and communities together to remember their sacrifice and honour all those who have served.”

Hull North and Cottingham MP, Dame Diana Johnson said: “In Hull we always honour those who served in our armed forces and in civilian life in the World Wars. This includes those who worked in the rail industry. Around 2,500 of their workers were killed while keeping the network running in World War Two.

“I was pleased to again join TransPennine Express, the Royal British Legion and others at Paragon Station to remember their bravery and sacrifice.”

Mayor Luke Campbell MBE, Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire and who was represented at the service by Chris Blucke, Director of Transport and Connectivity at Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority, said: “Thousands of people pass through Paragon every day, but we must remember those who left to serve their country and never came home. The memorial bears 4,531 names from Hull and the East Riding. Behind every name is a family who never got to welcome their loved one home. We owe them, and all those who have served our country since, an enormous debt of gratitude. I'm grateful to TransPennine Express, the Royal British Legion and everyone involved in ensuring their sacrifice is never forgotten.”

Cllr Linda Tock, Armed Forces Veteran Champion and Portfolio Holder Children, Young People, Families and Learning for Hull City Council, said: “It is an honour to lay a wreath on behalf of our city. As the council’s Armed Forces Veterans Champion, I stand alongside our community to pay our deepest respects to all those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Hull will always pay tribute to their memory and support our service personnel, past and present.”