A SOMBRE silence filled the air as around 60 people turned out to pay their respects during a ceremony to mark national holocaust memorial day.

The day coincided with the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. And in dreary, damp weather residents of the district joined several local dignatories including local councillors to commemorate the occasion during the service at the Reiss Memorial in Welwyn Garden City.

A small group of pupils from Bishop Hatfield, Chancellors and Onslow St Audrey's schools also joined the crowd last Thursday The short service began with a two-minute silence in memory of the millions of Jews who were killed in concentration camps during the Second World War. Particular reference was made to those who died at Auschwitz, the largest of the Nazi camps which was liberated by the advancing Soviet army on January 27, 1945.

Afterwards a selection of speakers shared their thoughts with the congregation.

Welwyn Hatfield district councillor Dennis Lewis said it was vital that peopled remembered the atrocities suffered.

He added: "We must remember and try to understand what the Holocaust meant and to ensure it never happens again in any time.

"We must ensure that young people understand the significance of what we are commemorating here today. If we fail to do this then they too might be standing here in a generation or two wondering how it happened all over again. There was few enough survivors from the camps and those numbers are ever reducing. The number of contemporaries is also reducing, therefore there is the very real danger that those who succeed us will not remember the tragic circumstances.

"There is a disturbing sign among young people and unwillingness to listen or understand what happened in those awful days. It is a privilege to see so many young people here today."

Other speakers on the day included United Nations representative Rob Lloyd and former district councillor Tony Wilder who read out extracts from books by survivors of Auschwitz.

Welwyn Hatfield resident Freddie Goldshaw also spoke to the crowd about his recent trip to Germany and a camp in Hanover where his grandmother was killed.