They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

Why Should We Remember?

World War I 1914-1918

On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, on July 1st 1916 more than 19,000 British and Empire troops were killed, 35,494 were seriously wounded and 2,152 were reported missing.

Nearly 9 million men and women from the British Empire were mobilised during the 1914-1918 war. They stood a one-in-three chance of becoming a casualty as 908,371 were killed and 2,090,212 were wounded. 191,652 were taken prisoner or listed as missing.

The youngest British Army casualty was John Condon from Waterford City, Ireland. He was only 14 years old when he died on the fields of Flanders in 1915. He told a recruiting officer he was 18.

The memorial at Thiepval, France, contains the names of 73,367 British and Commonwealth soldiers. It lists only those whose remains were never found.

Peace was declared at 11 o’clock on the 11th day of the 11th month 1918. 95 years ago.

There are no veterans of The First World War left alive There are no veterans of The First World War left alive. The final 3 survivors died in the last few years. Their names were Bill Stone (108) Henry Allingham (113) and Harry Patch (111).

World War II 1939-1945

In World War Two, more than 400,000 British and Commonwealth military personnel were killed.

The youngest casualty of the Second World War was merchant seaman Raymond Victor Steed, 14 killed when his ship hit a mine. In the six years conflict 2,500 British ships were lost and 32,000 British merchant seamen were killed.

68,111 British servicemen were killed, injured or captured at Dunkirk between May and June 1940 in some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. 338,226 soldiers were rescued using 800 ships.

During the Normandy landings on 6th June 1944 a further 2700 British soldiers were killed, captured or injured.

Germany surrendered on 6th May 1945 and peace in Europe was declared on the 8th May 1945.

Modern Warfare 1945-2013

Is it Just a Game…?

More than 16,000 British servicemen and women have been killed or injured on active service since 1945 in conflicts up to the present day, including Korea, Bosnia, the Falklands, Northern Ireland, the Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan.

There has only been one year (1968) since the end of the Second World War when a British serviceman has not been killed on active duty.

Since the start of the war in Afghanistan 446 British servicemen and women have been killed on active service. The bodies of soldiers are still repatriated into Britain every week!

Thankfully the number of deaths of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan has reduced hugely this year. There have been 8 deaths so far in 2013.

We are still waiting for peace to be declared!

Remembrance Day not only honours those killed in war, but also raises funds to help those wounded in action, old soldiers who suffer problems in later life, plus the widows and children left behind when a soldier is killed.

'When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,  For Their Tomorrow,  We gave Our Today'.

So...

...Why should we remember?