“Remembrance Sunday, which falls on 11 November in 2018”, we are reminded by the Royal British Legion, “is a day for the nation to remember and honour those who have sacrificed themselves to secure and protect our freedom.” In our dark and troubled world, it is a time for reflection and gratitude. I wasn’t born until long after World War Two, but my parents were there. My mother lived in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and narrowly escaped death on numerous occasions when the family home was bombed by the Luftwaffe. She personally witnessed the death of Dutch soldiers on the streets. Similarly, my father was sitting in class one day at the Bristol Cathedral School when a bomb landed and exploded in the courtyard nearby. Later, as a 15 year old, he served on the Liberty ships sailing across the U Boat infested Atlantic Ocean to bring supplies to hungry Brits. So, my family history is modest when it comes to the sacrifice made by so many, but having heard the oh-so-painful stories from others, Remembrance Sunday means an awful lot to me.
The 2018 parades will have greater resonance than ever given that it will be the hundredth anniversary of Armistice Day in 1918, when crowds poured on to our streets to celebrate the end of World War One. That, they believed, was the final victory of good over evil. If only. We still need to work on the ‘final’ bit.
Of all the great charitable organisations in our country, I find none more inspiring than the Royal British Legion, which was founded by veterans of World War One. To this day, it supports Service men and women and safeguards the memory of those who have given their lives. It also exists to promote hope for the future with its new strapline ‘Live On – to the memory of the fallen and the future of the living’.
It is important in these days of great technological change for the RBL to remain relevant not just to past generations who fought and died in armed conflict but also to young people to understand why they are free. I have noticed some small changes on social networks in recent years.
Numerous Facebook groups and other organisations have hijacked the meaning of Remembrance in order to promote their own political views. This has been particularly true of groups from the far right who have pumped out ugly propaganda in the guise of supporting Remembrance. When I am asked to share a particular group, I always scroll through their sites and more often than not I find some ugliness behind the pretence, dogma as ugly as that which our brave armed service personnel have fought throughout the years. Some are harmless enough but why not share the official Remembrance organisation instead, the Royal British Legion?
We want no distraction, no plagiarising the RBL brand, no exploitation of the heroism and valour we remember by wearing the poppy. I do not need to be told to “Wear Your Poppy With Pride” because I regard that as a given and I don’t attack those who choose not to wear poppies because the whole point of protecting our freedom means the protection of freedom of expression. We can be free to choose to wear a poppy or not.
We choose how we remember, if we choose to remember at all. I do so in private, alone with my thoughts, rather than at an organised function. That way, it has a far deeper meaning for me. Remembrance has nothing to do with politics, nor should it. It’s personal, it’s about community, it’s about family and it really is about the triumph of good over evil.
