Comedian Peter Kay has opened up about his family’s tradition of attending Remembrance Sunday services and how he was left heartbroken after making a realisation
Peter Kay has confessed that his “heart hit the floor” upon waking on Remembrance Sunday, as he reflected on the painful loss of his father and grandfather.
Every November, ceremonies are held nationwide to mark Armistice Day, honouring the servicemen and women of the two World Wars and subsequent conflicts.
For the 52-year-old comedian, visiting the cenotaph has been a long-standing family tradition. In his newly published book, Peter Kay’s Diary, he revealed that his grandad used to take him when he was a lad.
The funnyman, renowned for his observational wit and heartwarming storytelling, shared that he now takes his own children to pay their respects but admitted this year’s Remembrance Sunday was particularly tough.
He said: “Strange how your mind can play tricks on you. I woke on Remembrance Sunday this year and in those first few minutes of disorientation I recalled what the day ahead was and thought I’ll take my dad and grandad to the cenotaph. Then suddenly I remembered they’d both died, and my heart hit the floor,” reports the Manchester Evening News.
In his book, the Car Share star delved into his childhood, proudly donning his poppy as he strolled into the town hall square, immersing himself in the spectacle of the parades and music.
“It was always emotional seeing crowds gather each year. The dwindling number of ex-service men and women… I was always impressed by the parades that marched past the cenotaph. The music, and the pivotal moment at eleven o’clock when the ‘Last Post’ is played by a lone bugle, followed by the moving two-minute silence,” he said.
He fondly remembered the sensory experience of the occasion, including the jarring moments. “Tanks would fire and I’d jump out of my skin. I still do. An old man leaned over to me and whispered, ‘That bang frightens the young’uns every year.’ I thought, ‘Yeah and some of the adults too. I suffer from globophobia, buddy.’”
Yet Peter admitted that not all contemporary ceremonies match the reverence he recalls. “Sadly, the respect had somewhat waned this year. When we had the two-minute silence, somebody received a text message. ‘Beep, Beep.’ Then a woman right in front of me was vaping. And somebody brought a bloody puppy. Barking and yapping all through the service. Rude f******,” he said.
The Bolton-born funnyman also recounted an episode where he discovered he required urgent surgery after being struck down by excruciating kidney stones.
