They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old

On Remembrance Sunday our country comes together both in pride for those who serve us and in grief at their sacrifice and our loss.

This year we’ve seen our Union flag lowered for the final time in Afghanistan, as our country’s combat mission there came to an end. We’ve commemorated the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, and we’ve marked 70 years since the Normandy landings.

Across Broxbourne, people, including many veterans, turned out to pay their respects and to lay wreaths in silence. It was an indication that, as we reflect on the loss of the generation which went to war in 1914, we are also keenly aware of those who currently serve, most notably those who are returning home from Afghanistan.

I was pleased to attend the wreath laying ceremony in Hoddesdon along with hundreds of others, and afterwards at a very moving service of remembrance at St Catherine and St Paul’s Church.

Remembrance Sunday binds us as a nation, across generations and across geography, in our duty to those who have died for our country and our home. We shall never forget their sacrifice.