Armistace tradition continues at Friars Mill

During every year of peace time, staff at the Donisthorpe Company’s Friars Mill in Leicester stopped working to obey a two minute silence by war memorials on site.

The two memorials were unveiled in 1919 and 1946 respectively, in memory of Donisthorpe staff lost during both World Wars. Nineteen staff, including a director of Donisthorpe, were lost in the Great War. During World War 2, Sergeant Air Gunner Alan W Brown was the only recorded staff member not to return.

Tom Munro, Centre Manager at Friars Mill explained; ‘It was customary for a service of remembrance to occur on every working day closest to November 11th. I reinstated the tradition last year, not only to respect those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, but also in acknowledgement of Friars Mill’s history’.

Prior to laying the wreath, Tom added; ‘It is nice to see so many tenants of Friars Mill joining me by the memorials. Despite our busy schedules, sparing two minutes for those who have perished in both World Wars and every conflict since, is the least that we can do’.

Friars Mill is now fully occupied, only nineteen months after first opening as managed workspace for established and growing businesses. Despite being home to fifteen modern and ambitious businesses, Tom is keen that links to the past remain visible.