Last week I had the privilege of joining three remembrance services taking place across the constituency. On Remembrance Day I joined Knockholt Village in their traditional Armistice Ceremony. This was followed by Remembrance ceremonies in both Sevenoaks and Swanley on Remembrance Sunday. On all occasions, it was poignant to see our communities come together and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy today.
I also last week planted a commemorate cross in the Garden of Remembrance in Westminster. Each MP was invited to do so on behalf of their constituency by the Speaker. The garden was incredibly moving and allowed us all to give thanks for those who were lost in our community.
The annual act of remembrance is played out in every village, town, and city across the country, and binds our nation together in one sobering moment of national reflection. The tradition dates back to 11th November 1919, when King George V asked nations across the Empire to fall silent to mark the first anniversary of the end of hostilities on the Western Front in the First World War. And, it is with immense pride that this tradition continues today.
It was also around the same time that the wearing of poppies emerged as a tradition, recognising the unique image these gave on the fields of the Western Front during intense fighting. In fact, so popular was the wearing of a poppy that in 1921 the British Legion established their first factory to manufacture them, staffed by disabled veterans. Today, more than 30 million poppies are made here in Kent, at the factory of Royal British Legion Industries in Aylesford, and it is wonderful to always see it on so many in our community in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Sunday.
In Sevenoaks and Swanley we have a proud history of support for the armed forces, and I would like to take this moment to thank all our servicemen and women, their families and the Royal British Legion volunteers who work tirelessly to support our veterans, run the Remembrance service and sell poppies locally.
Whatever may divide us, I am confident that we will always remain united by the unending debt we owe to those who lost their lives. Our steadfast determination to come together and recognise this every year only fills me with a deep sense of optimism and pride.
We will remember them.
