Shropshire pays tribute to Tunisia victims with minute's silence

The nation paused at noon to reflect on last Friday's atrocity and remember the 30 British people who were killed in the beach front massacre.

In the Midlands, the entire playing squad at Walsall Football Club along with manager Dean Smith joined supporters to remember three generations of one family killed in the atrocity.

Saddlers fans Joel Richards, 19, his uncle Adrian Evans and grandfather Charles 'Patrick' Evans, 78, were among those gunned down in Sousse, while Joel's 16-year-old brother Owen survived the attack.

Owen and his mother Suzanne were joined by hundreds of supporters from the club for the minute's silence, gathering around the entrance to the club's Banks's Stadium where there is now a carpet of flowers and Walsall flags and shirts, as well as from local teams Aston Villa and Birmingham City in memory of the three.

Joel was a talented young referee, and a member of the Birmingham County Football Association referee's department blew a whistle to mark the start and end of the silence, before the club's chaplain Peter Hart said a short prayer.

The bodies of 17 of the 30 British victims killed in the beach massacre have been returned to the UK and eight more will be flown into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire today, the Foreign Office said, with the final five returning tomorrow.

The final two Britons to be identified have been confirmed as Raymond and Angela Fisher, from Leicester, believed to be aged 75 and 69.

The British victims were among 38 holidaymakers who were killed by Seifeddine Rezgui when he opened fire in the resort of Sousse. Three Irish nationals, two Germans, one Belgian, one Portuguese and one Russian were among the dead.

Those being repatriated today are Christopher and Sharon Bell, Scott Chalkley, Sue Davey, Angie and Ray Fisher, Eileen Swannack, and John Welch, the Foreign Office said.

Today's silence was marked at ceremonies all across the UK.

Outside Buckingham Palace hordes of people gathered along the gates and lined the pavements for the occasion, before a brass band marched out of the main gates.

At the City of London's Guildhall, police and workers bowed their head in remembrance, while at the Essex County Ground in Chelmsford the touring Australia Ashes cricket team joined Essex players and officials to bow their heads during a break in play.

Wimbledon also fell silent, with spectators congregating on Murray Mound inside the All England Club at midday to bow their heads, before clapping once the minute was over.

Matches started at 12.15pm rather than the usual 11.30am to allow players, staff and fans to take part.

In Belfast, the Brazilian Navy crew of sail training vessel the Cisne Branco, which is in the city for the Tall Ships Race Festival, paid tribute to the dead and saluted from the deck.

At St Anne's Cathedral in the city candles were lit and prayers were said for the victims and their families.

Dean of Belfast Reverend John Mann, who led the short service in the small Chapel of the Holy Spirit, described the terror attack as a "terrible event" which had brought "such sorrow" to the families affected.

A one-minute silence was held at Silverstone which is hosting the British Grand Prix on Sunday. It was led by the drivers and teams and observed through the paddock and by the crowds in the grandstands.

As pedestrians and tourists alike bowed their head in London's Parliament Square during the silence, flags above Whitehall fluttered at half mast, a poignant symbol mirrored at public buildings throughout the country, including at Buckingham Palace.

Tunisian prime minister Habib Essid also joined the UK's ambassador to the country Hamish Cowell at a memorial event on the beach in Sousse - where Mr Cowell met members of the hotel's staff to thank them for their role helping British nationals.

Armed police patrolled the beach while dozens of tourists also gathered around a sea of flowers at the scene of the attacks.

Elsewhere, Tamworth fell silent to remember Sue Davey, who was killed along with her partner Scott Chalkley. Flags on Tamworth Castle and the town's Marmion House were flown at half mast, and a book of condolence was opened by the council for people to remember her.

Mosques across the UK also fell silent to mark the occasion as Muslims paid their own tributes during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Muslim Council of Britain has urged British Muslims to make their voices heard to pray for peace, and speak out against terrorism, and has called on mosques and imams to deliver a sermon of peace at Friday prayers, to remind people "that these killers do not respect the sanctity of life as laid down in Islam".