Remembrance Sunday

09 November 2024

Remembrance Sunday is one of the most solemn days in the calendar, a day when seemingly the whole country – and many beyond its shores – come together in a moment of unity and reflection.

The Cenotaph on Whitehall is at the epicentre of this moment of reflection and remembrance. Hundreds of military personnel take part in the day, with hundreds of veterans and members of other organisations taking part in the march past Lutyens’ design, which was executed in Portland Stone.

A cohort some 50-strong from SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity will take part in the march-past, which included volunteers and families of those who lost loved ones while in service or afterwards through injuries sustained.

One of those taking part is David Laws. Now a SSAFA volunteer caseworker for the charity in France, living near La Rochelle, David served for 28 years in the RAF as a logistician, retiring as a wing commander. His career took him to the Falklands post-conflict as well as to NATO in Brussels and Naples.

David’s understanding of service life runs through his family. He refers to being the first “light blue” (RAF) in his family; as his father, grandfather, great uncle, and great-grandfather all served with the Royal Horse Artillery in both World Wars.

He notes: “None of my family talked about their experiences, other than the odd humorous anecdote.

“My grandfather in London ran towards a downed German parachutist, until he was close enough to realise it was not a man, but a parachute-retarded fire bomb!”

Like many military personnel, the odd joke can be a quick distraction, but David pauses before saying: “My family was very lucky during the wars; they all survived.

“I’m marching in recognition of those who served alongside my great-grandfather, grandfather, great uncle, and father who did not return from the wars, and to help raise awareness of the great role service charities have in supporting serving and ex-serving forces personnel and their families in need.

“We must remember them, and we will remember them.”

Another is Valerie O’Neill, a Halifax-based mum to a British medic who died in service.

Valerie’s family has several connections to the military. Her father served in the Royal Artillery and was deployed to Burma (now Myanmar) during the Second World War before serving later in Korea, Japan, and Malaysia.

A mother to three sons, Valerie’s son Kris was the youngest of her three boys. An avid football fan, Kris enjoyed playing as a goalkeeper, and was an ardent Leeds United supporter. Pursuing his ambition to become a doctor, Kris joined the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) at the age of 18.

He went on to serve three tours of Afghanistan, the first taking place just after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Weeks before he was due to return from his third tour, Kris tragically died soon after his 27th birthday, on 5 April 2007 while in a Warrior armoured vehicle, which was struck by an IED blast.

Kris’s brother Ian now lives in Denver in the USA, while Michael is close to his mum in Halifax. Valerie’s partner passed away last year. Semi-retired, Valerie works three days per week, and in her spare time, she enjoys reading, painting, and spending time with her cat.

Valerie said, “Kris was a kind and generous person who would help anyone. Had he lived, he would have achieved his dreams. He was such a beautiful soul, and we miss him more than words can say. I am so proud to participate in the Cenotaph march-past this Remembrance Sunday in honour of his memory.”

Valerie will also take part in the Festival of Remembrance the evening before with families of those who fell in battle or afterwards as they walk down the steps to applause and a deserved standing ovation. This year, there will be 10 people from SSAFA’s support groups taking part, including one from SSAFA’s Military Families affected by Suicide group.

SSAFA is proud to work alongside the Royal British Legion to involve our bereaved community within these poignant, and sometimes challenging times, events and we look forward to our next remembrance event at the National Memorial Arboretum in May 2025.

Glastonbury’s Ray Tillbrook says that family is his reason for taking part in the march-past.

It will be particularly moving for the RAF veteran as he remembers his late wife Yvonne, but known as Bonnie, who died earlier this year. They met while both working for the RAF.

"We always watched and attended remembrance events together," Ray shared. "She would have loved to see me marching this year.."

Ray's father, another inspiration behind his participation, was a soldier who served across North Africa, Italy, Normandy, and Germany during the Second World War before being demobilised in 1946. Ray recalls his father taking him and his brother to London to see the Cenotaph ceremony in person in the 1950s. The experience made a lasting impression on him, particularly as his father would reminisce about his wartime experiences and the friends he lost.

Ray added, "So many memories surface every November. My wife, my father, and my father-in-law are three reasons why I am marching this Remembrance Sunday."

Tracey Blake, a Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) veteran who lives in Carlisle, will also be in the parade.

Tracey was born in Wakefield to a military family, spending much of her life in Portsmouth while her father served in the Royal Navy. At the age of 17, Tracey joined the WRNS – commonly known as the “Wrens” – serving in Portsmouth, Northwood, Rosyth, and Norway, until a spine injury led to her medical discharge after 10 years’ service.

In 2010, Tracey needed a role that allowed enough flexibility for her to care for her son, Luke, who has autism, and she also wanted to find something that offered a similar sense of purpose to her years in the Wrens It was at this time that Tracey started working with SSAFA, starting as a caseworker before taking on roles within the Portsmouth and Gosport divisions.

After a cancer diagnosis, Tracey, her son and his assistance dog, Weiss, moved to Cumbria for a more relaxed life, where she became a much-respected SSAFA branch secretary. In fact, Tracey is held in such high esteem within SSAFA that she was honoured with the Sir James Gildea Global Award.

SSAFA’s Sir James Gildea Awards were created to recognise the staff – voluntary and paid – for their exceptional contributions and commitment to SSAFA’s activities and values. The awards were presented at SSAFA’s Annual Members’ Meeting in London in July by His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent, SSAFA’s President.

On Remembrance Sunday, Tracey will march alongside her father, retired Royal Naval Officer, Keven Blake. Both will also be in the Royal Albert Hall for the Festival of Remembrance the night before.

Commenting on the Cenotaph march-past, Tracey said, “Marching with SSAFA and my father, in remembrance of servicemen and women, feels like such an honour. Over the past 15 years, I have seen the hard work done by caseworkers and volunteer managers at SSAFA, and to represent those volunteers at such a prestigious event feels amazing.”

Stephen Howell – born in Hertfordshire, and now resident in Saffron Walden – dedicated 22 years to the Royal Air Force, in which he was a Flight Operations Specialist. The military runs deep in his family as his father served in the Royal Signals, uncles in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, the Royal Marines, and a third in the Royal Navy while both grandfathers served in WWII – one in the Signals, the other the Royal Armoured Corps.

Stephen’s post-RAF career has been varied, and includes civilian, military, and even royal ops in the United Arab Emirates. Like many others, his life changed through the pandemic, and during furlough he attended a Veterans Construction charity familiarisation course, which led ultimately to a new career with Vistry Homes.

He reflects, saying: “The period of Remembrance means many things to me. I live a few miles away from ex-RAF Debden, now Carver Barracks and have virtually grown up on the old airfield.

“The airfield was a key fighter base during the Battle of Britain with several of its aircrew being killed defending Britain against the Luftwaffe. Debden then became the home of the RAF Eagle Squadrons – manned by US volunteers before these became the 4th Fighter Group of the USAAF – responsible for scoring the most US fighter victories in Europe.

“Eventually the Army took over, renaming the base Carver Barracks and making it home to the Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal and Search units. Sadly, these units took casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. I remember all those based at Debden who died.”

Stephen pauses before adding: “While serving I lost a number of friends and colleagues and I remember them, such as Wing Commander John Coxon and Flight Lieutenant Sarah Mulvihill, who were killed when shot down aboard a Lynx helicopter over Basra in Iraq in 2006. I also remember friends killed on board Nimrod XV 239 when it crashed in 2005 and lastly those colleagues who died on board Hercules XV179 that was shot down over Iraq in 2005.

“Lastly, I remember my grandfather, Lance Corporal Albert Howell, Royal Signals, who died in India in Aug 1944. My father never met him as he was only four when Grandfather died, and at the age of 85 it is unlikely that Dad will ever get to visit his grave. We remember Grandfather every year.”

To Stephen, Remembrance is personally important as he uses the opportunity to remember his fallen friends, colleagues, and family, adding: “More generally, it’s important to use this time to remember all those who gave the greatest sacrifice so we could have the freedom of choice on how to remember.

“Remember or don’t remember,; that’s your choice, but you have that choice because of all those who gave their lives so you could choose.”