By Press Release
REMEMBRANCE DAY 2022
It is a privilege to be asked to share my perspective of Remembrance Day with you and, with the very sad loss of Her Majesty The Queen, remembrance in 2022 has even more significance for all of us than usual. The haunting words of Laurence Binyon’s poem, For The Fallen, “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,” has an added poignancy that is hard to explain. As a serving soldier for some 36 years and then as your Lord-Lieutenant until 2019, the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, Remembrance Day, has always had huge significance for me and my family.
Here on the Island, our Remembrance Sunday parade in Newport, together with the Field of Remembrance at Carisbrooke Castle, have both become an important part of my own annual commemoration. My memories of relations, comrades and friends lost on operations, blend with images of ceremonies I have been privileged to attend around the world. A bleak day at the Menin Gate at Ypres, a cloudless sky at the Commonwealth War Cemetery outside Arnhem and an unforgettable service at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Centre in Jerusalem, have all played their part in shaping my personal perspective of Remembrance.
Underpinning all this, however, has always been our National ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, led until this year withsuch poise and dignity by Her Majesty, a shining example to us all of duty. Who can forget the sure-footed image of her placing the Nation’s wreath at the foot of the memorial. I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that King Charles will continue to lead our collective commemorations with equal commitment. Indeed he has played a major role for several years already. Nevertheless, for me, this year will be different as we continue to come to terms with the loss of our Monarch.
There is also no doubt that the horrors and consequences of war have been brought into sharper focus this year by the war in Ukraine, which shows little sign of abating. The consequent impact on all our lives, in particular on those lost and their families, will, I am sure, be reflected in our individual and collective acts of remembrance.
And finally, and I make no apology for repeating words I used in a similar article in 2008, Remembrance Day is the one opportunity for us all, whatever creed or religion, to call to mind together those who have died in the Service of their country. For everyone, our memories will be different and unique; the important thing is that we share the experience together.