Remembrance Day: Denmark RSL hosts service for more than 100 attendees at the Denmark War Memorial

The town of Denmark paused on Tuesday morning to honour Remembrance Day, with a service held by the Denmark RSL well-attended by residents and visitors.

Denmark RSL secretary Mark Davies said more than 100 people turned out to the service at the Denmark War Memorial, with members of the community, veterans, travellers and visitors among the gathered crowd.

Denmark RSL president Alan Davies laid the only official wreath on behalf of the RSL and the Denmark community, while attendees were invited to lay personal wreaths and tokens of remembrance.

Mr Davies said a small group from the gathered crowd chose to lay items at the memorial, with some remembering ancestors or relatives, some remembering friends, and some simply adding their own mark to remember Australia’s fallen soldiers.

Mr Davies also gave the formal address to the gathered crowd, remarking on the lasting importance of Remembrance Day more than a century after its first celebration, and the tragedy of the First World War being labelled the “war to end all wars” only to be followed by so many subsequent conflicts.

Visitors in town for the service included Swan Caravan and Camping Club member Veronica Stratton, who is also a member of the Rats of Tobruk WA Remembrance Association, a Statewide community organisation dedicated to carrying on the legacy of the “Rats of Tobruk”.

The nickname was given to a group of Australian soldiers who defended the Libyan port of Tobruk from German forces in WWII.

The soldiers of Tobruk defended the important port city against German forces that far outnumbered them for months on end, demonstrating the Anzac spirit Australians still take deep pride in, and earning themselves the famous nickname of the “Rats of Tobruk”.

Many of the association’s members are descendants of the soldiers who fought and now work to continue preserving the memory of their heroic actions.