Banbury's Amazon staff joined by veterans and primary school pupils for Remembrance service

The service held today (November 8) took place at the war memorial on the Amazon delivery station on Southam Road.

The Amazon site was formerly the home of Alcan aluminium works, which was the biggest employer in Banbury, employing over 3,500 people.

As well as manufacturing fighter planes such as Spitfires and Hurricanes, 900 men from the Alcan factory also went to war.

Today’s service paid special tribute to the 41 men from Alcan who sadly lost their lives and never returned to Banbury.

Current Amazon staff members were joined by former Alcan employees, Hanwell Fields Community School pupils, veterans and the Royal British Legion for the service.

Former Alcan employee and president of the Banbury Royal British Legion, Cllr Kieron Mallon laid a wreath at the memorial after a lone piper played a lament.

Representatives from the veterans organisations, former Alcan staff, Amazon staff and Hanwell Fields school then laid wreaths at the war memorial.

Cllr Mallon, who served in the Irish Guards said: “Without the ally (Alcan) our planes would not have been built, the battle of Britain lost, and with it so would have western democracy.

“When I was employed by British Alcan we would gather to honour and in some cases in those days even to remember workers who went away, never to return.

“This garden is an oasis amongst the noise of the main road, Amazon have done us proud the way they maintain it and make it available to the Royal British Legion.”

Following the service, everyone gathered in the Amazon canteen to enjoy food and warm drinks.

Chris Smithson, formerly Royal Signals and now Banbury Royal British Legion Chairman, said: “Today has kicked off a whole weekend of remembrance and reflection in and around Banbury that we can all be proud of.

“The schoolchildren were great, they marched down from the school with the teachers, stood in silence, laid their own tribute. Part of the Royal British Legion is to keep the flame for future generations, this service today embodied that commitment.”