Marden’s Remembrance Sunday commemorations were a collaboration between many groups.

They began with the ringing of the bells at St Michael and All Angels Church in the village, followed by a short service, with a two-minute silence. Representatives from the Royal British Legion, Scouts and Cubs were present.

After the service, the congregation moved to the Library and Heritage Centre accompanied by recorded music from the First World War where the chairman of the Marden RBL, Nigel Hammond, opened an exhibition on the First World War put together by the Marden History Group.

At 12.15pm, crowds gathered outside to hear the village’s newly restored Second World War air-raid siren sounded for the first time in situ.

The village lost its own siren some years ago, but after the post was discovered behind the Unicorn pub, the search began for a siren to put on it. Eventually villager Colin Whittle was able to persuade the MoD to donate a redundant siren from Hythe, which was then restored at a cost of £660.

The siren was installed on the 21ft post and erected by the village firefighters with technical assistance from the Homeleigh timber firm.

David MacFarland, chairman of the history group, said: "The firemen did all the hard work, digging the hole, pouring four and a half tons of concrete. We're very grateful."

The siren is believed to be the first to be erected since the Cold War days of the 1960s and the first in civilian hands.

Vera Lynn songs were played and then once the All Clear had sounded, the village moved on to the cemetery where a cherry tree was planted by Cllr Dorothy Reed, chairman of Marden Parish Council, and by Commander Chris Childs, president of the Marden RBL.