Remember those who have sacrificed.
106 years since the guns fell silent on the Western Front.
In 1919, and in every year since at, at the 11th hour on the 11 day of the 11 month, people have paused to remember the dead. So great had been the loss of life, so devastating had been the destruction, that people hoped that the Great War, ‘the war to end war’, would be the last war.
But it was not to be. Just over two decades later, the world was plunged into a second global conflict, and in the eighty years since, the world has not become a more peaceful place.
From my own perspective, in 1990 the Royal Marines ran a recruiting campaign with the strap line that ‘In 1968 The Corps took a Holiday’ to highlight the fact that this was the only year since the end of WW2 that the Royal Marines had not been deployed in conflict zones or on operations.
Even as we gather here today you will be aware of the conflicts that rage in E. Europe and the Middle East.
So today, Remembrance Sunday, the closest Sunday to the moment when the guns fell silent at the end of World War 1, is no longer a day to just remember the dead of the First World War.
We have just heard the Roll of Honour read for those who served, did their duty, and paid the ultimate price.
Today we remember them and all those who have given their lives in defence of our nation and our freedom. Not just those in military uniform, but the civilian services: Police, Fire, doctors and nurses who have served our country in times of conflict and have not lived to enjoy the freedoms for which they made the ultimate sacrifice.
Conflict also casts a shadow over those who live on. We remember those whose lives were permanently scarred because of injury, both physical and mental.
And we remember the families who see their loved ones deploy and suffer the pain of separation, the uncertainty whilst they are away and the fear that one day they may get a knock at the door from someone in military uniform.
So, if that is the cost of conflict, what is the prize?
Remember the freedoms we have received.
Here and now, we gather in this, a place of peace, because of the courage and bravery of those who have served their country in the years gone by.
For those of us still serving, we stand on the shoulders of giants and, because of their sacrifices, we have all inherited the opportunity to live life in all of its fullness. Our challenge is to use this freedom wisely.
Every day we should pause from the dings and the pings for a couple of minutes to appreciate the freedom and choice that we now enjoy. And, despite these freedoms, life can still be difficult so we should also take time to look out for those around us who may be under the shadow of the past or the pressures of the present.
We remember because to forget would not only dishonour those who have served, it would also be an unforgivable failure if we did not learn anything from past conflicts or understand the costs involved in having a free society today.
Remember our responsibility to guard and use those freedoms in the future.
If we really want to honour those who died in war, then we must set ourselves the task of building a more peaceful world for the next generations.
As Mahatma Ghandi said:
Peace is not something that you wish for. It is something that you make, something that you do, something that you are, something that you give away.
Or, less eloquently:
Si vis pacem, para bellum (‘If you want peace, prepare for war‘)
This is not to glamourise war. If ever we take up arms, we should do so in sorrow, not anger. And if we are victorious, there should be no rejoicing, only bitter regret that we have been required to fight for peace.
For a free society war is, and must remain, a last resort. We must trust that those that lead this country and those of our Allies and partners will exhaust every other lever of national power, diplomatic and economic, before they turn to the military to fight to protect the values and freedoms that we hold dear.
And war does not just affect those of us in uniform. As millions of civilians who lived through WW1 and WWII, and those that are living through conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East today, will attest, the effects of conflict at that scale will impact on everyone’s life.
War is a National Endeavour in which no one wins, so we must do what we can to learn from the past to ensure that war at that scale is never repeated.
I will finish where I started, today is about:
Remembering those who have sacrificed,
Remembering the freedoms that they have secured for us and
Remembering our responsibility to guard and use those freedoms in the future.
So, as we look back with respect, and look around with gratitude, I also look forward with faith and hope for a future in which you will all go on from here and play your part.
