I am writing this week’s column ahead of the opening of the first Parliamentary Garden of Remembrance, which will be situated in New Palace Yard outside Westminster Hall.
This week I will be planting a wooden Remembrance tribute in commemoration of Crawley residents who serve and have served in HM Armed Forces.
This starting of a new act of Remembrance on Parliament’s grounds reminds me of a tradition nearby, outside Westminster Abbey, which started in 1928. Walking around the Field of Remembrance there, reading the messages and seeing the vast array of tributes, provides a visual reminder of how many people lost their lives in efforts to secure our freedoms.
In this centenary year of the Royal British Legion I am wearing my red poppy with pride to highlight the organisation’s two roles; to remember the fallen and care for the living. The money we give to the Royal British Legion supports their work to care for service personnel who need support after serving the nation.
The scenes we have witnessed from Afghanistan this year have been difficult for all of us to watch, but perhaps none more so than for those who served in the country. Over the last two decades the work of the UK Armed Forces not only ensured the lives of millions of Afghans were improved, but they helped to keep the UK safe from the threat of terrorism. They can, and should, be proud of what they did.
Support with mental health and a range of other issues is also available through the Veterans Gateway. This is funded by Government and managed by the Royal British Legion. This support can be accessed via: www.veteransgateway.org.uk or by calling: 0808 802 1212.
When we remember those who gave their lives we often think of individuals who came from our own community.
It is right that a new housing development in Crawley will be named after Royal Marine Scott Summers, who died in 2007 at the age of just 23 while on tour in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Scott Summers Court is located close to another development which is named after a Crawley soldier who lost his life in Afghanistan, Private John Brackpool.
In September I attended a moving ceremony at St John’s Church for the addition of two names to the War Memorial.
The names of Craftsman Christopher Edgar, killed in 1969 in Northern Ireland, and Sgt Paul Justin Connolly, who died in 2004 in Iraq, are now listed on the memorial for our town to remember and reflect.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.
Henry Smith MP