HUNDREDS of railway workers who lost their lives in the two world wars were remembered in the traditional Act of Remembrance held in York.

Traffic stopped and the crowd fell silent for a moment of remembrance at 11am today (Friday, November 10), as railway workers past and present and representatives of the Army and the British Transport Police, gathered at the war memorial on Station Rise.

Railway chaplain Rev Angela Levitt-Harwood led the service, saying the ceremony was just one of thousands across the country and adding: "Although we are not physically together, we are one act of remembrance."

Rev Levitt-Harwood also paid tribute to the victims of terrorist attacks in Manchester and London - including the York couple Marcin and Angelika Klis, who were killed in Manchester while waiting to collect their two daughters from the concert.

"We think of them, and we remember their two girls today."

Speaking after the service, she said: "I think it's important to both honour the past and be mindful of the present. I spent a lot of time in London and Manchester after the attacks with staff, survivors, and people who had lost loved ones. I wanted to remember those people as well".

During the ceremony the last post - played by David Ventress - signalled the start of the minute's silence as the standards were lowered. Wreaths were laid by Ian Clarkson of the British Railways Engineers' Ex-Servicemen's Association, PC Dave Knox of the British Transport Police, Major Chris Chapman of the Royal Logistics Corps, as well as figures from the Royal British Legion, Network Rail, the National Railway Museum and train operating companies.

Major Chapman, one of only a few railway officers still serving in the Army, said: "It's important that the military is represented and that a military wreath is laid here, because these guys were volunteers and they were soldiers, and this memorial is in such a prominent position."

The North East Railways War Memorial on Station Rise was unveiled in 1924, and includes the names of 2236 victims of the First World War from all over the region as well as 515 railway workers who died in the Second World War.