Armistice Day calls us to remember all those who have served in conflict

One hundred years ago the guns fell silent, the fighting stopped, the killing ended.  Finally after four long and wearying years Britain was once again at peace.  The Great War was over. This weekend, one hundred years on, the focus is understandably on that event. Never before or since had Britain had so many under arms. Never before or since have we as a country suffered such huge loss of life in military activity. The impact can still be felt in every city, town and village across the country where memorials to the fallen have become an established part of our daily landscape.

There are those who question the merit of remembering, saying we should be focussed on the future not the past. There are others who try and appropriate the annual event for nationalistic purposes. Some say in a multi-cultural, multi-racial, post-Christian, post-imperial country that all the parading about and church services has become an historical anachronism – meaningless to modern Britain. These views do not seem to resonate very strongly across the land, but it is helpful to reflect on what we are doing and why.

In 1997 William Hague attended the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance for the first time in his official capacity as Leader of the Opposition. An aide was required to accompany him so off I went to the Royal Albert Hall. It was the first time I had been to the national commemoration in person, although I had watched it on the television often enough. I found myself seated in the Hall with veterans as well as senior serving officers, in the box next to the Royal Box. Afterwards at the dinner that follows I found myself seated next to Dame Vera Lynn.

Three things have stuck in my mind ever since that evening. First, the bond between the Sovereign and those who serve and have served in the Armed Forces, and the Armed Forces, is intense and one of mutual respect. Secondly, Remembrance is not an act of simply historical interest, it is a living and dynamic thing. An official act of remembrance may have been triggered by what had happened during the Great War, but every year since then men, and increasingly women, have been involved in military activity for the country, right up to the present day. They have been serving and in some cases suffering injury or death. We remember people who have been injured and killed in the last year as much as we do those who died in the years and decades that have gone before. Thirdly, the duty of care owed to those who serve and who have served in the Armed Forces by all of us and by the state is profound.

Our focus this weekend is the end of the First World War but those marching past the Cenotaph on Sunday will include many who have served in conflicts in the years since then. You will see young, as well as older, men and women who have served. You will see young, as well as older, war widows and widowers. Remembering is our opportunity to say thank you to those who have served and to those who continue to serve – and that is a timeless act we can all share in for as long as we ask people to serve in our Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and the Royal Air Force.