Once again the nation is a sea of poppies ahead of Remembrance Day, as people pay tribute to the service personnel who have fought for our country in various conflicts throughout the centuries. On Sunday we will again gather to give thanks for those Swindon men and women who joined others from all over the country to fight for the liberty and security which we can often take for granted.
This year is a particularly significant time to honour and remember our fallen soldiers as we mark the centenary of the First World War. It is only right that a hundred years on, we as a nation come together to remember the sacrifice of a generation and honour the enduring legacy which they fought for so valiantly.
In Swindon extra efforts have been made to mark the centenary with the ‘Swindon in the Great War’ exhibition which I attended the opening of at the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery. It is a must see for anybody who wants to find out more about our town’s journey throughout 1914 to1918. Towards the end of summer, we also gathered on the anniversary of Britain’s entry into the first World War to celebrate the launch of ‘Swindon Remembering 1914-1918,’ a book written by Historian Mike Pringle on how the conflict affected the landscape of our town.
2014 has also brought with it an end to Britain’s 13-year war in Afghanistan as we finally saw the Union flag lowered down from its post in Camp Bastion last week. 453 service personnel have died in the conflict, and thousands more have endured life-changing injuries. Whilst the conflict has been fought for longer than expected, and has often been marred by controversy in the media, we should be proud of the many achievements of our Armed Forces.
Afghanistan is no longer a safe haven for terrorists and the Taliban have failed in their efforts to take control of the country. Furthermore the country has held democratic elections for the first time in its history. Yet there are still lessons to be learnt from the conflict, especially as we consider our next steps towards finding a resolution to combating the threat posed by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
But this week is about remembering those who have served, those who continue to serve and those who never made it home. As ever, it will be a huge honour for me to join veterans, dignitaries and members of the community in Swindon this Sunday to pay our respects. Let us never forget how indebted we are to the those that have secured our liberty and security for generations to come.
