100 Year Old Bob Lingwood attends Omagh Remembrance Service 2018

On the 11th November Omagh parade in remembrance of the fallen. 2018 is 100 years

since first world war ended. A number of youth groups, scouts, guides and cadets walked with the British legion in remembrance to the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting their country.

The Omagh inspection of the parade was led by 100-year-old Bob Lingwood from London, who was born at the end of the First World War. He joined the army at the age of 19 simply because he was interested in working with motor vehicles. In the Second World War, in the trenches his job was to lay telephone wires which allowed communication between different sections of the army.In 1945 after the war ended Bob went back into shoe making, where Bob and his wife settled in London. When the UK government started providing subsidies to deprived areas, he moved his family to Northern Ireland where he set up a factory in Omagh, County Tyrone, hired 200 people and made up to 8,000 shoes a week. However, when manufacturing costs became cheaper in other countries Bob had to close his factory but that didn’t stop him from doing what he loves. He started making very special components for shoes which led him to providing 30 jobs to locals in the Omagh area.

Commenting on today’s remembrance parade Bob said that “It was absolutely amazing the turn out and it was great to see that people remember. What was really outstanding for him was the young people that came out to watch”. He said that “Omagh can be proud of what they have done today in memory of the fallen colleagues”.

After the inspection on Campsie Road everyone marched up to Omagh Academy for an inter-denominational service. After the service everyone went to the War Memorial to take part in two minutes of silence in remembrance of the fallen at 11am. Wreath laying took place from several different organizations.Richard Scott from the British Legion said, “it was one of the biggest parades we have had in a few years and I think that is down to fact we had 100-year-old Bob Lingwood here today to remember those from 1918 and to have someone actually here with us, who was born in that year was absolutely fabulous”.