What does Remembrance mean to me?

This Remembrance Day, our own EEAST colleagues share their thoughts on what Remembrance means for them.

Remembrance honours those individuals who have served and sacrificed during conflict and national emergencies, including the armed forces and emergency services. Today, 11th November, we unite across faiths, cultures and backgrounds to remember them. 

Below, are quotes from a number of our EEAST colleagues sharing their thoughts of Remembrance.

'For me, the 11th of November and Remembrance Sunday are a chance to reflect on conflicts past and present and remember those who have sacrificed their lives, so that we may be free. Particularly to remember my own colleagues who have paid the ultimate price and did not come home as I did'
Dale Meacham Roberts (LOM Norfolk & Waveney)

'Remembrance for me is remembering lost friends that I knew that were killed when I served, and remembering the Hyde Park bombing, the gulf war, and Bosnia and then thinking of all service men and women that lost their lives and thinking why?'
Mark Wibberley (EMT Norfolk & Waveney)

'For me, Remembrance Day always brings a mix of emotions. The experience of twenty years of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan has shaped many of us and made us who we are - but this has come at a high cost.  Many gave their lives, so many lost their mobility, their sight or their hearing, and the damage done to the mental health of veterans is incalculable. Conflict can bring out the very worst in humanity but remembering those who gave everything they had in the midst of fear and horror is also an opportunity to celebrate the very best of what the human race is capable of.'
Martin Short (Wellbeing Manager)

‘Sometimes it’s so very hard to express a feeling in words. It’s a feeling I first felt on a school trip to France and Belgium to visit the battlefields of WW1, and it has grown with intensity over the years.

I have stood with greatness, with ‘The Few’ recipients of the VC, but my favourite was my Great Grandad Hooper. He joined the Durham Light Infantry in 1905 - probably to escape a life down the mines. One of the first to land in France, wounded 3 times, but survived and was discharged in 1919. What I wouldn’t give to hear his experiences! However, like many who served, these memories are usually too painful and too personal to share. I have immense pride for him.

I remember hearing of those that were shot at dawn for cowardice. It took many years before I understood what drove these men insane, causing them to run. Understanding came from various sources - initially from the research that drove the campaign to get these men pardoned, but then meeting a new generation of service personnel who were suffering with the same uncontrollable nightmares. The sadness I feel when I think of them leaves me unable to control the tears.

As we, here in the West, live in comfort, I watch as others are not so lucky. The full horror of war is evident on our TV screens. I am so very grateful that I live in safety and without fear, thanks to the sacrifice of others. So, I guess Remembrance to me is the acknowledgment that the feeling in my chest is pride, sadness and, ultimately, gratitude for those who have given their all.

Paramedic (West Herts)

You can discover more stories of those from Britain and the Commonwealth who served and sacrificed here. 

Published 11th November 2022