Remembering the Fallen and what it stands for

Some may ask, why do we continue to honour those who died so long ago, at a time when most of us weren’t even alive?

But it’s an extremely important part of our history and the reason many of us live as we do today. And it’s not just about remembering those who died in the two world wars, but all those many that have died since fighting for our country.

Even if you don’t have a direct contact to any of our Armed Forces, its very much about respecting all those who give their lives to protect us. Whilst we remember the fallen, we also remember all those who joined and have served in our Armed Forces.

Remembrance honours those who serve to defend our democratic freedoms and way of life. It unites across faith, culture and background, to take the time for a moment of reflection and the hope for peace. Even now there are wars across parts of the world, soldiers fighting to protect their country, much as all our Armed Forces did back then and still do.

The significance of the poppy and Remembrance services and parades is not to glorify war and its symbol but to hope for a better future. It’s a deeply personal time for all of us, however we choose to remember, but can unite us too.

The money we give when we buy a poppy each year, however big or small, can make a huge difference to providing lifelong support to both serving and ex-serving personnel and their families.

That support starts from day one of a person’s service and continues through their life, long after their service is over. For most of us, we will never really understand how serving personnel deal with some of the horrific things they will have seen and been a part of. Maybe at the time, its just ‘part of the job’, but they are only human and those memories will live with you.

It must be a strange process to re-adjust to civilian life if service is all you’ve really known and understood, where you’ve felt like you. That’s why this support is so important. It gives a voice to our armed forces and brings all these issues to the forefront.

So even if you don’t wish to remember those who have died or served so we can live as we do, after all it’s not compulsory, please just respect what the day stands for and allow all of us that do wish to honour and remember the right to do so.